Getty Images; Tyler Le/BI A record number of the global rich are adopting new countries as their primary residence. They cite political instability, tax laws, and quality of life as reasons for the m

President Trump has demanded that Netflix fire Susan Rice from its board. Alex Wong/Getty Images President Trump demanded that Netflix fire former national security advisor Susan Rice from its board. Rice served in senior roles in the Obama and Biden administrations. She's faced scrutiny from the right before and been unsparing in her criticism of Trump. President Donald Trump has demanded that Netflix remove former US Ambassador and national security advisor Susan Rice from its board, step...

Getty Images Are you feeling lost among the AI slop? You might want to major in English. Humanities skills, once undervalued, are now in demand in AI-driven markets. Universities are rethinking how they teach liberal arts in the AI age — and students are loving it. At the University of Colorado Boulder, you can take a course co-taught by an applied mathematician and a Renaissance scholar. "The students love it," said John-Michael Rivera, the school's dean of arts and humanities, of the clas...

Donald Trump has demanded Netflix fire Susan Rice from its board. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images & Mario Tama/Getty Images Donald Trump has chimed in on the Netflix deal negotiations, despite previously saying he wouldn't. In a Saturday Truth Social post, the president said Netflix should fire Susan Rice from its board. Rice on Thursday predicted an "accountability agenda" for corporations that "take a knee" to Trump. President Donald Trump is calling on Netflix to remove former US Ambassador a...

Declan Rice has revealed that Arsenal held a team meeting following the midweek draw against Wolves, and they’re looking to respond against Spurs on Sunday.Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty ImagesMi...

FDA Dropping Requirement For 2 Studies For New Drug Approvals Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will approve many new drugs based on one trial moving forward, agency leaders have said. FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary in Washington on July 29, 2025. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images The FDA has typically required two studies from companies seeking approval for most new drugs, although in recent years it has ap...

Ratel Robotics said it had adapted one of its ground robot models to carry and launch fiber-optic drones. Ratel Robotics A Ukrainian arms maker said one of its ground robots can now launch fiber-optic aerial drones. It said the robot can launch them closer to the front without putting operators at risk. "Everything is as safe as possible for all people performing this mission," the CEO told Business Insider. A Ukrainian arms company says it has modified one of its ground robots to carry and launch unjammable fiber-optic drones. Ukrainian forces can put the drones in the air closer to the front without exposing pilots. Ratel Robotics shared a video this week of its Ratel H model robot equipped with a protected box. In the clip, the launcher opens up and releases a small drone connected to a fiber-optic cable. The uncrewed ground vehicle functions as a mobile launch point. CEO Taras Ostapchuk told Business Insider the "ground robot becomes like a base station" for the up to four drones that it can carry. Those bases are typically human-operated launch points, where pilots need to be closer to danger to put the drone in the air. Ostapchuk said that the ground robot can drop off operators at a safe location and then continue toward the front to launch the drones. The operators remotely controlling it and the fiber-optic drones can hang back "in the safest place possible." The aim is that "everything is as safe as possible for all people performing this mission," the CEO said. Fiber-optic drones, which receive signals by a thin cable rather than radio links, have become central to the war because they can't be jammed by electronic warfare like other drones — though their range is limited and the cable can be cut or snagged. Fiber-optic drones can't be jammed by electronic warfare. Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images It is unclear how many of Ratel Robotics' systems have been adapted for this mission or whether they are already in the field. Drone carriers are not necessarily a new concept. For instance, Ukrainian soldiers say Russia is using its medium-sized strike drones to fly smaller drones into battle like "an aircraft carrier." Ground robots account for only a small share of Ukraine's drone missions, but the technology is becoming more prolific. New Ukrainian defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov said this week that Ukrainian forces carried out more than 7,000 combat and logistics missions with ground robotic systems in January. He added that production and upgrades are accelerating. Ukraine uses its fleet of ground robots for many different missions, including carrying ammunition and gear, evacuating wounded soldiers, laying mines, demining, firing on Russian positions, and exploding near targets. Ukraine uses robots for a host of uses, including firing at Russian positions and carrying wounded troops. Serhii Mykhalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images The Ratel H can carry more than 880 pounds and can travel more than 37 miles. The company says it is multipurpose, able to transport cargo and evacuate wounded soldiers. The robot can also be equipped with weaponry and electronic warfare systems. The West is paying close attention to Ukraine's fight, seeking to learn lessons about what it would need to fight Russia. Ground robots are drawing close scrutiny in the West. Western militaries have fielded similar systems, but not at this scale or across so many roles, and Ukrainian companies are pushing the technology forward. Read the original article on Business Insider

Over the years, I've seen passengers making some basic mistakes and social faux pas on train rides. sculpies/Getty Images I've been riding trains across the US for over 26 years, and it's one of my favorite ways to travel. After hundreds of trips, I have a running list of some of the worst things passengers do on board. Avoid bringing too much luggage and taking up more than your fair share of space on board. Train travel can be an adventure. Whizzing by different terrain and meeting new people are all part of the trip. However, a ride can also be frustrating or a bit chaotic, especially if other passengers are doing things that irritate you. After more than 26 years of riding trains up and down both US coasts and across the Midwest, here are seven things I wish passengers would stop doing. Talking your seat partner's ear off As is the case on most public transportation, you risk encountering talkative seatmates on trains. Being stuck in a conversation for a multihour train ride can be exhausting, especially since many people choose this form of transit because it's considered a leisurely and relaxing travel option. I don't usually mind having brief conversations with people near me — it's a shared experience after all — but not everyone wants to be social. When it comes to chatting on board, consent from both parties is key. Bringing too much luggage There probably won't be tons of storage space on the train. Daniel J. Macy/Shutterstock Similar to air travel, trains have limited space in front of the seats and in the overhead bins. Try to stick to your fair share of luggage, or plan in advance to check it when you board. On Amtrak, most reservations allow you to bring one bag and two carry-on items. You may be able to bring more if you book a private car or upgrade your ticket. People are getting on and off at every stop, so even if your train car looks empty when you board, you should still be mindful of how much space you're taking up. Spreading your belongings (or body) out across a row of seats Speaking of taking up too much space: Spreading all your things across a row or more of seats is annoying for fellow passengers. Since there isn't much extra space on trains, I wish people were more mindful about taking too many seats, blocking the middle aisle, and knocking into the people around them when they need to unpack something or resituate their luggage. This also goes for lying down across multiple seats. If you need to stretch out, go to the café car or observation space, where there's usually a little more room to move around. Leaving trash and spills for others to clean A lot of people think they don't have to clean up after themselves on trains and planes. It's especially annoying because there are trash receptacles throughout the train, making it easy to organize your space as you go. I usually find them near stairwells, in restrooms, in the dining car, or at the end of the passenger cars. Your trash is your responsibility — the same goes for anything you spill during the trip. Trapping people on the stairs or between cars Try not to stand in front of doors for too long. Dogora Sun/Shutterstock Don't stand in the way of people in the space between cars or on the narrow, sometimes winding, stairwells. Space is limited, and if you trap someone for too long, they may start to feel unsafe or uncomfortable. It's sometimes unavoidable to momentarily block people as they get on and off the train, but otherwise, be mindful and stay aware of your surroundings. Taking your shoes off When you're in a public place that's not a pool or spa, taking your shoes off probably won't elicit a pleasant reaction. This is especially true when you're trapped in what's essentially a metal tube for hours. Keep your shoes on to avoid bothering your fellow train riders. I personally wouldn't want my feet touching the floor of a train anyway. Watching videos or listening to music without using headphones If you want to avoid irritating everyone around you, reduce your noise pollution. You might be fascinated by the cooking video you found on YouTube, but the rest of the passengers probably aren't. And no matter how amazing your taste in music is, use headphones while on the train. This also applies to phone calls — no one wants to hear your whole conversation on speakerphone. This story was originally published on November 10, 2024, and most recently updated on February 20, 2025. Read the original article on Business Insider

Google's AI boss Demis Hassabis said the memory market came down to "a few suppliers of a few key components." PONTUS LUNDAHL/TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty Images Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said that the "whole supply chain" for memory chips is constrained. "You need a lot of chips to be able to experiment on new ideas," Hassabis told CNBC. Google produces its own TPUs, but Hassabis said that there were still "key components" that were supply-constrained. The memory shortage takes no prisoners. Even Google isn't immune. AI companies are duking it out for greater and greater quantities of memory chips. The problem? The industry is heavily supply-constrained. Costs have skyrocketed, products have been tied up, and some companies — especially those in consumer electronics — are increasing prices. On the AI front, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis told CNBC that physical challenges were "constraining a lot of deployment." Google sees "so much more demand" for Gemini and its other models than it could serve, he said. "Also, it does constrain a little bit the research," Hassabis said. "You need a lot of chips to be able to experiment on new ideas at a big enough scale that you can actually see if they're going to work." Researchers want chips, whether they work at Google, Meta, OpenAI, or other Big Tech companies, and memory is a key component. Mark Zuckerberg said that AI researchers demanded two things beyond money: the fewest number of people reporting to them, and the most chips possible. Hassabis said that wherever there was a capacity constraint, there was a "choke point." "The whole supply chain is kind of strained," Hassabis said. "We're lucky, because we have our own TPUs, so we have our own chip designs." Google has long built TPUs — Tensor Processing Units — for internal use. The company also leases them to external customers through its cloud, which has also put Nvidia on edge. But even access to their own TPUs won't save Google from having to navigate the highly competitive memory market. "It still, in the end, actually comes down to a few suppliers of a few key components," Hassabis said. Three suppliers dominate memory chip production: Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix. These companies are struggling to meet demand for chips from AI hyperscalers without dropping their longtime electronics customers. It doesn't help that AI companies mainly want a different type of memory chip than PC manufacturers do. Large language model producers want HBM (high-bandwidth memory) chips. Don't expect Google's spending on AI infrastructure and chips to go down anytime soon. On its fourth-quarter earnings call, the company projected capital expenditures of $175 billion to $185 billion for 2026. Read the original article on Business Insider

PwC, like many consulting firms, is investing heavily in engineering talent. Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images PwC's engineers have created a new AI agent to tackle enterprise-grade spreadsheets. Spreadsheets are unsexy, but crucial to corporate operations, PwC exec Matt Wood told Business Insider. Traditional AIs "just kind of shrug and give up" when they meet a big spreadsheet, Wood said. The real way to judge a company's AI expertise isn't in the flashy headlines, but by looking at the "unsexy" work rolling out behind the scenes, Matt Wood, PwC's global and US commercial technology and innovation officer, told Business Insider. If Wood's theory holds — that real AI prowess shows up in unglamorous advances — PwC's latest launch is certainly notable. After all, what could be less sexy than spreadsheets? The Big Four firm announced this week that it has developed a "frontier AI agent" capable of reasoning over vast, enterprise-grade spreadsheets — something that conventional AI systems struggle with because of their complexity, size, and interdependencies. The agent can understand and navigate spreadsheets, mimicking "how experienced practitioners work: scanning, searching, jumping across tabs, integrating charts and receipts, and reasoning," PwC said in a press release. Why spreadsheets matter Wood, who joined PwC in 2024 from a role as vice president of AI at Amazon Web Services, said that when he started, he'd noticed the wraparound, ultra-wide monitors filled with spreadsheets: "That's all anybody was working on," he said. But these were not "your school soccer team budget spreadsheet," said Wood. The spreadsheets that power large enterprises are enormously complex, often containing millions of cells, charts, graphs, images, receipts, and dozens of interlinked workbooks. "They are more like financial engines than they are spreadsheets," he told Business Insider. These files often underpin business-critical decisions, yet PwC "found that even today's modern AI was very poorly suited to managing these big enterprise spreadsheets," Wood said. "They just kind of shrug and give up for want of a better word." Matt Wood, PwC's global and US commercial technology and innovation officer. PwC Creating an AI capable of understanding and reasoning across large, complicated spreadsheet applications is what PwC's engineers set out to solve. Their solution was a "genuine advance in the field," Wood said. The agent has unlocked use cases across assurance, advisory, and tax, and boosts time saving on some tasks "from literally days to hours," said Wood. He gave the example of audit walkthroughs, where teams previously spent weeks manually gathering and validating evidence across numerous complex spreadsheets that existing AI tools couldn't handle. Now, users simply upload the files, and the frontier agent automatically maps their structure, extracts relevant data, and performs validation and consistency checks — tasks that would otherwise require combing through millions of rows by hand. The result is faster meetings, less back-and-forth with clients, and cleaner, structured data ready for deeper AI-driven analysis, he said. Consulting powered by engineers PwC's AI spreadsheet agent was built in-house by engineers — a function the firm has been rapidly expanding as it shifts beyond the traditional roles associated with the Big Four. In January, PwC launched a dedicated tech engineering career track to attract more technical talent, saying it wants to become "a destination for top engineering talent." Previously, the firm offered only consulting and accounting career paths. Wood told Business Insider that adding the engineering track is "a signpost" of its future plans. At the same time, PwC is retraining non-technical employees. The US branch of the firm recently announced a companywide workplace learning strategy focused on knowledge sharing and on developing a mix of human and AI skills needed for the future. Wood described the work engineers do at PwC as having two modes: "transforming today" and "building for tomorrow." The first focuses on improving current workflows — reducing back-and-forth with clients, increasing trust, and delivering work more efficiently. The second reimagines professional services from scratch: "If you were to start from a blank piece of paper, what would professional services look like in an AI agent world?" said Wood. PwC engineers also work directly on client engagements, building AI systems tailored to specific projects. For example, they help organizations reorganize and redesign their finance functions from the ground up using agents, Wood said. Many of the consulting industry's top players are pursuing similar investments in technical talent as AI reshapes the work they do. Accenture, already one of consulting's most technically sophisticated players, has added nearly 40,000 AI and data professionals in the last two years. They now account for roughly 10% of its global headcount. EY, another Big Four firm, has added 61,000 technologists since 2023, according to its latest annual report. Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at pthompson@businessinsider.com or Signal at Polly_Thompson.89. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely. Read the original article on Business Insider

AI demand is boosting unexpected Japanese companies — including a toilet maker and a seasoning giant. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images A toilet maker and seasoning giant are Japan's unlikely winners in the AI boom. Toto, famous for its bidets, has drawn investor attention because it makes key components for memory chips. Food giant Ajinimoto produces an insulating material used in advanced semiconductor packaging. The AI boom isn't just lifting chipmakers and Big Tech. In Japan, it's flushing gains into a toilet manufacturer and a seasoning giant. As demand for AI chips surges, investors are piling into companies that sit inside the semiconductor supply chain — even if they're better known for bathrooms and soup stock. Toilet maker Toto, famous for its high-tech bidets and heated seats, has drawn investor attention. The company makes electrostatic chucks, which are critical components used in the production of NAND memory chips. Memory prices have climbed sharply in recent months, driven by AI-related demand. Last week, UK-based activist fund Palliser Capital called Toto "the most undervalued and overlooked AI memory beneficiary," according to reports by Bloomberg and the Financial Times. After news broke on Tuesday that Palliser Capital had taken a stake and was pushing Toto to promote its chip-parts business, the toilet maker's stock jumped more than 5%. Its shares are up more than 54% over the past year. It's not just Toto. Japanese food giant Ajinomoto, better known for its umami seasonings and soup bases, has become an unlikely AI infrastructure play. The company produces an insulating material used in advanced semiconductor packaging. Ajinomoto's latest financials point to strength beyond its core food business. For the nine months ended December, the company reported an 8.9% rise in net profit, while operating profit increased 5.6% year-on-year. The gains were partly driven by its "Healthcare and Others" segment which includes electronic materials used in semiconductors, the company said in a February earnings statement. After Ajinomoto posted its earnings on February 5, the company's stock rose 13%. Its shares are up more than 56% over the past year. Not all non-tech companies are benefiting equally from the AI boom. Daikin, best known globally for its air conditioners, supplies high-purity chemical materials used in semiconductor manufacturing. It recently trimmed its outlook, citing uncertainty over US tariffs as a drag on demand. The Japanese air conditioning maker reduced its operating profit forecast by about 5% to 413 billion Japanese yen, or $2.6 billion, for the fiscal year ending in March. "Operating profit was significantly affected by the decline in semiconductor demand, decreasing by 44.6% year over year to ¥18,102 million," the company said in its financial report in February. "Net sales of fluoropolymers fell year over year, despite focused Group efforts to capture strong new demand in the data center field, and was due to the stagnation in the construction markets of the United States and China and the significant overall impact of delays in the recovery of semiconductor demand," it added. The company said it plans to cushion the blow through price increases and cost reductions. Daikin's stock dropped as much as 8.4% in Tokyo following its financial results. Read the original article on Business Insider

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has raised concerns that the proposed deal between Getty Images and Shutterstock could negatively affect the UK editorial market.

The UK's competition regulator has identified potential competition issues regarding the proposed merger between Getty Images and Shutterstock.

DoorDash reported worse-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday. Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images DoorDash has a key advantage over Amazon in grocery delivery, CEO Tony Xu said Wednesday. The delivery service offers a wider variety owing to its myriad partnerships with grocers, Xu said. Amazon is ramping up its grocery delivery, creating more competition for DoorDash and Instacart. DoorDash CEO Tony Xu says that his company's grocery offering has a key advantage over Amazon: choice. Amazon is doubling down on grocery delivery, especially perishables like produce and ice cream. The retail and tech giant said last month that it's expanding same- and next-day grocery delivery to more parts of the US this year, adding to the thousands of towns and cities it already serves — news that sent shares of Instacart and DoorDash tumbling at the time. DoorDash, though, has something that shoppers want and that Amazon isn't replicating, Xu said on the company's fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday. Unlike Amazon, which owns Whole Foods and several of its own food brands, DoorDash works with existing grocery chains. The delivery service has struck deals in recent years. Last year, it expanded its partnership with Kroger and signed new deals with regional chains, including Schnucks in the Midwest. Few customers complete all their grocery shopping at a single chain, Xu said. Many stop at multiple stores each week, especially to find specific fresh groceries, such as produce, meat, and seafood. "Consumers prefer choice," Xu said on the call, adding that he expects there to "continue to be very strong interest in the DoorDash product" as a result. DoorDash is also expanding its services for retailers, such as fulfillment through its DashMarts, convenience store-sized retail spaces designed for picking and delivering orders. Xu said DoorDash is "doing that for every single grocer so that they have the capability to compete against companies like Amazon." DoorDash shares rose as much as 14% in after-market trading on Wednesday, despite disappointing fourth-quarter earnings and guidance for 2026. The company's stock took its biggest one-day hit in November after it unveiled plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on tech improvements. While DoorDash has become known for restaurant deliveries, its gig workers are increasingly making grocery deliveries — many of which make more financial sense for DoorDash. Xu said DoorDash has attracted more big grocery orders from customers, not just small fill-in trips. That matters in the grocery industry, where grocers tend to make more money when customers buy a wider range of goods. "People use us for both the quick runs as well as the stock-up use cases," he said. Ravi Inukonda, DoorDash's CFO, said on the call that DoorDash's retail and grocery business expects to "be unit-economic positive" in the second half of 2026. Have a tip? Contact this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com or via encrypted messaging app Signal at 808-854-4501. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely. Read the original article on Business Insider

SARAJEVO, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA â" JANUARY 4: Snowfall blankets city as winter weather affects the capital Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on January 4, 2025. Samir Jordamovic/Anadolu/Getty Images Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, hosted the Winter Olympics in 1984. Not even a decade later, the city was ground zero in the war for Bosnian independence. Four decades after the Games, many of the Olympic venues have remained abandoned. Over 40 years ago, the Yugoslavian city of Sarajevo hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics. Many new structures were built, and the Games were seen as something of a reunion since many countries had boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow. But six years later, the country would be thrown into turmoil during the Yugoslav Wars, which led to the fall of Yugoslavia. Sarajevo became the capital of a new country, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 1992, but the fighting didn't end until 2001. During the fighting, Olympic venues became battlegrounds, with ski slopes heavily mined and hotels turned into prisons. While Sarajevo's story is singular, it's not the only former Olympics host city where venues now resemble ghost towns. Olympics host countries famously pour millions of dollars into building new venues, which sometimes fall into disrepair after the crowds have gone home. Milan Cortina, the host of this year's Olympics, hopes to avoid this costly mistake. "The Games are capitalizing on existing infrastructure and local winter sports expertise, aiming to create lasting socio-economic benefits for the local population," said Marie Sallois, the IOC director for sustainability. Of the 13 venues being used across northern Italy, 11 either already exist or are set to be torn down after the games. The country only needed to construct two new permanent venues, per the IOC. Here's what the 1984 Sarajevo Olympic venues look like in 2026. The 1984 Winter Olympics were held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, from February 8 to 19. The medal podium at the ski jump venue. Ioanna Sakellaraki / Barcroft Im / Barcroft Media via Getty Images The 1984 Games were the first Winter Olympics to be held in a socialist state and the second consecutive Games to be held in a socialist country after the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. The 1984 Games were seen as a grand reunion, since many Western countries had boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics, including the US. The Olympic rings are seen on the Jahorina mountain near Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina February 5, 2019. Picture is taken February 5, 2019. Dado Ruvic/Reuters The US boycotted the Olympics in Moscow in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. More than 60 nations refused to take part, according to the US State Department. In 1984, many of the events took place near Jahorina Mountain, seen here in 2019. But soon after the Olympics ended, Yugoslavia was thrust into turmoil, with the country formally collapsing in 1992. In this picture taken on Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, graffiti by London creative collective The Lurkers "The Lurkers do Sarajevo" is written on a destroyed hotel at Mt. Igman. Wartime destruction and negligence have turned most of Sarajevo's 1984 Winter Olympic venues into painful reminders of the city's golden times. The world came together in the former Yugoslavia in 1984 after the West had boycotted the 1980 Olympics in Moscow and Russia boycotted the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Just eight years later, the bobsleigh and luge track on Mount Trbevic was turned into an artillery position from which Bosnian Serbs pounded the city for almost four years. Today, the abandoned concrete construction looks like a skeleton littered with graffiti. Amel Emric/AP A destroyed hotel at Mount Igman, where events including ski jumping were held in 1984, is pictured in 2014. Sarajevo was almost immediately put under siege — just eight years after the Olympics ended, the bobsled track was turned into an artillery position by the Bosnian Serbs. The bobsleigh track originally built for the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics lies unused on Mount Trebevic Tim Goode/PA Images via Getty Images This is what the bobsled track looked like in 2014 — it's been almost completely left to nature. Sylvia Hui at the Associated Press wrote that year, "Today, the abandoned concrete construction looks like a skeleton littered with graffiti." Sarajevo was under siege for almost four years, "the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare," NPR reported. BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - FEBRUARY 20, 2014: Former Winter Olympic Venue now abandoned Giles Clarke/Getty Images NPR reported the Bosnian war led to 100,000 deaths and the "worst atrocities in Europe since World War II." This hotel, which was built as part of the Olympic Village, was turned into a prison during the war. BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - FEBRUARY 20, 2014: The abandoned shell of a hotel constructed for the 1984 Winter Olympics and where competitors stayed. Ten years later, the hotel was turned into a prison and place of execution for Bosnian Muslims - all overseen by Serb Forces Giles Clarke/Getty Images According to Getty, 10 years after the Winter Olympics, "the hotel was turned into a prison and place of execution for Bosnian Muslims — all overseen by Serb Forces." Even the medal podium was turned into an execution site, Bloomberg reported. By the time the war ended in February 1996, thousands of civilians were dead, and the new country of Bosnia and Herzegovina had to decide how to move forward. Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics logo is seen on the tower near the Zetra hall in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 14, 2015. Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images Many of the Olympic venues had been damaged or destroyed by the constant bombing and warfare. Decades later, many of the tracks and venues are still empty and abandoned, like these ski jumps at Mount Igman. Abandoned Igman Olympic Jumps in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 14, 2015. Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images According to Getty, "The area around the 90-meter hill was heavily mined during the Bosnian war." Here's what they look like from another angle. IGMAN, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - FEBRUARY 20, 2014: Children gather at foot of the 1984 Olympic Ski jump hill at Igman just 25km from downtown Sarajevo. The area around the 90m hill was heavily mined during the Bosnian war just 8 years after the 1984 Winter Olympics. Giles Clarke/Getty Images The mountains border the city. The ski jump was left to the elements. In this picture taken Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, the abandoned ski jumping facility is seen covered in moss at Mt. Igman near Bosnian capital of Sarajevo. Wartime destruction and negligence have turned most of Sarajevo's 1984 Winter Olympic venues into painful reminders of the city's golden times. The world came together in the former Yugoslavia in 1984 after the West had boycotted the 1980 Olympics in Moscow and Russia boycotted the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Just eight years later, the bobsleigh and luge track on Mount Trbevic was turned into an artillery position from which Bosnian Serbs pounded the city for almost four years. Today, the abandoned concrete construction looks like a skeleton littered with graffiti. Amel Emric/AP Moss and debris cover the jumps. There are reminders of the Olympics scattered throughout the old venues. Destroyed Olympic rings on the abandoned Igman Olympic Ski Jump in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 14, 2015. Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images These Olympic rings have fallen into disrepair. Here's where the judges sat during the ski-jumping competition. Judges tower on the Igman Olympic Jumps in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 14, 2015. Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images East Germany's Jens Weißflog and Finland's Matti Nykänen each took home gold medals in ski jumping that year. The bobsled track was located on Mount Trebević, which was reachable by cable car from the city. It closed in 1989 and was destroyed during the war. picture taken on February 5, 2014 shows Sarajevo's abandoned Sarajevo's bob sleigh track near Sarajevo. Built and used as an Olympic venue during Sarajevo's 1984 Winter Olympic Games, the track was heavily damaged during Bosnia's 1992-95 war. It was never rebuilt and it's large concrete fragments remain standing as a memento of past and training ground for young generations of graffiti artists ELVIS BARUKCIC/AFP via Getty Images "The remains of destroyed restaurants, hotels, sports facilities and mountain huts were left to rot and the thousands of mines were cleared at a painstakingly slow pace" after the war ended, The Guardian wrote in 2018. After the war ended, the track gained two new uses: a place for graffiti artists to paint and a place for bikers to practice. Downhill bikers Kemal Mulic (C), Tarik Hadzic (L) and Kamer Kolar train on the disused bobsled track from the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics on Trebevic mountain near Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, August 8, 2015. Abandoned and left to crumble into oblivion, most of the 1984 Winter Olympic venues in Bosnia's capital Sarajevo have been reduced to rubble by neglect as much as the 1990s conflict that tore apart the former Yugoslavia. The bobsled and luge track at Mount Trebevic, the Mount Igman ski jumping course and accompanying infrastructure are now decomposing into obscurity. The bobsled and luge track, which was also used for World Cup competitions after the Olympics, became a Bosnian-Serb artillery stronghold during the war and is nowadays a target of frequent vandalism Dado Ruvic/Reuters A photo from 2015 shows downhill bikers using the bobsled tracks for training. There are hundreds of feet of concrete for artists to express themselves. The bobsleigh track originally built for the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics lies unused on Mount Trebevic Tim Goode/PA Images via Getty Images The walls are covered in tags and street art. This is what it looked like in early 2018. The bobsleigh track is seen on Mount Trebevic in Sarajevo, January 16, 2018 Dado Ruvic/Reuters The track on Mount Trebević was covered in snow when it was photographed in January 2018. However, the cable car, which ferried people to the bobsled events on the mountain, triumphantly reopened in 2018. Sarajevo below the Mount Trebevic cable car in 2018. Tim Goode/PA Images via Getty Images The cable car follows the same route today as it did during the Olympics. People can now walk the old tracks without fear. People walk along the Sarajevo bobsleigh track on Mount Trebevi, built for the 1984 Winter Olympics and later repurposed by Bosnian Serb forces as an artillery position during The 1992-1995 siege of Sarajevo on July 13, 2025 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The war ended with the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement in 1995, which established Bosnia and Herzegovina's current political structure Pierre Crom/Getty Images "The mountain has slowly returned to something like its former self," The Guardian wrote in 2018. "Hotels, restaurants and cafes have been rebuilt, mines swept away and hikers from all over Sarajevo visit en masse." Yet, the reminders of the war will always be part of Sarajevo's history, along with the Olympics. A picture taken on March 19, 2019 shows the Kosevo wartime cemetery in Sarajevo. - The cemetery was established on an auxiliary football pitch of the Sarajevo city stadium, next to the "Zetra" Olympic Hall (seen in the background). ELVIS BARUKCIC/AFP via Getty Images A wartime cemetery was built right next to the Zetra Olympic Hall. Following the war, the Zetra Ice Hall was rebuilt in 1997 and reopened in 1999. It's still in use and is now known as the Juan Antonio Samaranch Olympic Hall. In 2024, Sarajevo marked the 40th anniversary of the Olympics. Olympic rings adorn ski slopes at Mount Jahorina, used as one of Alpine skiing Olympic venues during Sarajevo's XIV Winter Olympics in 1984, south of Sarajevo, on February 6, 2024 ELVIS BARUKCIC/AFP/Getty Images In 2024, some of the slopes remain abandoned. Olympics branding, like these rings, was still visible. Even though it's been four decades, graffiti with the Olympic mascot Vucko is still seen on the streets of Sarajevo. Pedestrians walk past graffiti depicting the official olympic mascot "Vucko" from the XIV Winter Olympic Games held in Sarajevo in 1984, on a painted wall painted mural in a an alley, in Sarajevo city center, on February 7, 2024. ELVIS BARUKCIC/AFP/Getty Images Unfortunately, Sarajevo isn't the only city that has to reckon with abandoned Olympic venues. There are empty stadiums all over the world. Read the original article on Business Insider

Former CFPB Director Rohit Chopra reached a settlement with Navient over claims the lender overcharged student-loan borrowers. Michael A. McCoy/Getty Images Student-loan borrowers are now receiving checks from a $100 million settlement by Navient. A government watchdog accused Navient of misleading borrowers on their repayment options. The settlement comes as the Trump administration has reduced student-loan oversight. Student-loan borrowers, check the mail: there might be some money waiting for you. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — a federal watchdog — announced that on February 13, checks began going out in the mail to student-loan borrowers who qualified for a portion of the settlement the agency reached with major lender Navient in 2024. The settlement resolved claims from a 2017 lawsuit that accused the servicer of misleading borrowers about their repayment plan options, leaving them "cheated" out of lower monthly payments. The settlement permanently banned Navient from servicing federal student loans and required it to return $100 million to borrowers. Do you have a story to share about your experience with private student loans? Reach out to this reporter at asheffey@businessinsider.com. The payments are ongoing, and the CFPB has contracted with Rust Consulting — a firm that manages settlements — to administer them. The CFPB said in its latest announcement that the payments do not reduce any student loans that borrowers currently have. "I think there's been millions of Americans who could have avoided the consequences of default if they had been treated properly by their servicer," Former CFPB Director Rohit Chopra told Business Insider in 2024 after the settlement was announced. In addition to misleading borrowers about their payment plans, the CFPB accused Navient in its lawsuit of making errors in processing borrowers' payments, failing to deliver relief to defaulted borrowers, and misrepresenting cosigner requirements for taking out loans. Navient did not deny any wrongdoing and said in a statement at the time that "while we do not agree with the CFPB's allegations, this resolution is consistent with our go-forward activities and is an important positive milestone in our transformation of the company." The settlement was reached under former President Joe Biden, and it's unlikely that the Trump administration will pursue similar oversight. President Donald Trump slashed CFPB staff as part of his broader effort to reduce the federal workforce, and an April 2025 internal memo from the CFPB's chief legal officer called on the CFPB to "deprioritize" oversight over student loans. With Trump's looming changes to student-loan repayment, oversight over the industry could be even more critical, some lawmakers and policy experts have said. The Department of Education's plan to place lower caps on borrowing could push some borrowers into the private lending market, which lacks federal protection and could have higher interest rates. "Student debt places a tremendous burden on borrowers, their families, their communities, and the U.S. economy, driving employment, spending, and housing decisions that have long-lasting negative impacts on borrowers' financial health," a group of Democratic lawmakers wrote in a letter last year. "Placing a greater share of student loans into the hands of private lenders threatens to make these problems much worse." Read the original article on Business Insider

Samir Hussein/Getty Images Billionaire rapper Jay-Z loves luxury watches; the rarer and harder to get, the better. His collection includes timepieces from Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille, and Patek Philippe. He's even worn watches valued at $1 million to attend events like the Grammy Awards. Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, has long mentioned his love of luxury timepieces in his songs. You can find references to Rolex, Audemars Piguet, and Hublot throughout his decades-long music catalog. He doesn't only flash watches in his lyrics, though. The billionaire rapper, who has a $2.5 billion net worth, has amassed quite a collection of statement timepieces. The $1,075,652 Patek Philippe Grand Complication 5304-301R he wore at the 2025 Grammys was just one of them. Here's a look at that watch and other items included in his watch collection. Jay-Z has a Patek Philippe Grand Complication 5304-301R that retails for more than $1 million. Jay-Z wears a Patek Philippe to the Grammys in 2025. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy ; Patek Philippe Jay-Z is a big fan of Patek Philippe watches. He wore one with a rose-gold case and dozens of diamonds for the 2025 Grammys. Its face includes several functions, such as days of the week and moon phases, that help keep a perpetual calendar for tracking the date. The calendar automatically adjusts for leap years and accurately counts the days until 2100, according to GQ. The hand-stitched strap is made of alligator leather. Beyoncé reportedly gifted him a Hublot Big Bang. Hublot Jay-Z quite literally announced his love of Hublot in the 2011 song "Otis," where he pronounced, "New watch alert: Hublot." Perhaps it was prophetic. In 2012, his wife and fellow artist Beyoncé gifted Jay-Z a $5 million Hublot Big Bang in 18-karat white-gold for his 43rd birthday, according to jewelry blogs. The watch was encrusted with 1,282 diamonds, and it took more than 14 months to assemble, the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève, a foundation that highlights contemporary watches with awards and exhibitions, reported. It also took more than a year to source all the diamonds. A year later, the Swiss watchmaker collaborated with the rapper to design a timepiece under his name. Jay-Z wore his own Hublot watch onstage in 2013. Hublot/Adam Bettcher/Getty Images Hublot released the Shawn Carter Hublot Classic Fusion in yellow gold and black ceramic in 2013. The former watch was priced at $33,900, and the latter at $17,900. The collection was limited to just 350 total pieces, according to GQ. You can't miss his Richard Mille 56 Blueprint watch. Gotham/GC Images via Getty Images/Richard Mille Jay-Z's custom Blueprint Richard Mille 56 watch required more than 3,000 hours to produce, GQ said in 2019. No wonder it cost $2.5 million. During a 2019 show in his hometown of Brooklyn, the rapper freestyled a tribute to the timepiece: "Blueprint on my wrist cost 2.5/Only thing that flips the script between you and I." The rapper later purchased another one-of-a-kind Richard Mille piece — this time in green. Rich Schultz/Getty Images What was the price of that Richard Mille 56 watch? $3 million, according to Complex. Or at least, that was its retail value. Alex Todd, who customized the watch, told the outlet that its monetary value is higher. It was custom-made for Jay-Z and featured rare green sapphire crystals. Jay-Z eventually expanded his collection of Richard Mille watches. The Richard Mille RM011 Felipe Massa watch. Richard Mille He did so with an RM011 Felipe Massa Chronograph in rose gold. The watch was originally released in 2007 and was designed with its namesake, F1 driver Felipe Massa, the brand said on its website. The timepiece is meant to invoke a racing aesthetic and the sport's history of tech innovation. Its crown "resembles a smooth tyre encircling a spoked wheel rim," the maker said. Mille is no longer making this model, but you can get a used one for $215,000. He's worn Richard Mille pieces to attend major sporting events, like the US Open. Richard Mille/Matthew Stockman/Getty Images Jay-Z wore the Richard Mille RM027 Rafael Nadal to watch its namesake take on Novak Djokovic at the 2011 US Open championships. It was designed to be as lightweight as possible and take on all the wear and tear a tennis superstar like Nadal might put it through, Richard Mille said. Nadal referred to it as his "second skin" timepiece. There were only 50 of these watches made at the time, according to Mille. You can buy one on the secondary market for $1.95 million. Nadal collaborated with Richard Mille on several additional versions of this timepiece that the rapper later acquired. Jay-Z has also worn the Richard Mille Rafael Nadal 27-01, which has an anthracite casing. His collection also includes Audemars Piguet watches. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Audemars Piguet Jay-Z shouted out Audemars Piguet in his 2011 "Watch the Throne" track "N—s in Paris," saying: "Ball so hard, got a broken clock / rollies that don't tick-tock / Audemars that's losing time / hidden behind all these big rocks." He's also worn the brand. Included in his collection is the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked 26585CE. It has an openwork sapphire dial, rose gold dial markers, a black ceramic band and case, and a titanium clasp. You can buy one from the watchmaker, but it's "price upon request" — or, in other words, wildly expensive. To get it on the secondary market, you'll need to shell out over $375,000. Patek Philippe watches can be tough to buy, but not for Jay-Z. The Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon 6002R watch. Patek Philippe When describing the Patek Philippe 6002 Sky Moon Tourbillon watch on its website, the brand notes the extensive detail that went into creating the timepiece. Some of the highlights include handmade engravings, a double-face design, a retrograde perpetual calendar, a sky chart, and more. It's one of the most technically complicated Patek Philippe watches, and its price is only available "on request." However, used versions of the watch can be found on the secondhand market for prices between $4 million and $6 million. Jay-Z wore his model to Lebron James' 39th birthday party. Jay-Z picked up a Tiffany and Co. x Patek Philippe collab in 2021. The Patek Philippe Tiffany watch. Tiffany & Co. The Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 in Tiffany Blue initially retailed for $52,635, but since only 170 were made, the price skyrocketed on the secondary market. Days after the watches sold out, one was auctioned off for $6.5 million, CNBC reported in 2021. Jay-Z and Beyoncé were named Tiffany ambassadors that year. In 2023, the musician wore one of the rarest Audemars Piguet pieces. An Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 25594ST "Yves Klein" watch. Audemars Piguet The "Yves Klein" version of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 25594ST watch is an ode to the French artist. He's widely known for developing his own vibrant shade of blue — international Klein blue 191. The Royal Oak design features a perpetual calendar, which keeps track of everything from the time and date to the moon's phases. It's a popular style in its own right, but the Yves Klein version is especially rare. Few are rarely found on the resale market. He also sported a unique Patek Philippe that year. A Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Split Seconds Chronograph 5004P watch. Patek Philippe Jay-Z sported the Perpetual Calendar Split Seconds Chronograph 5004P watch during a decadent, seafood tower-filled lunch meeting with DJ Khaled in 2023. The watch is modeled on Patek Philippe's first perpetual calendar watch, released in 1996. The particular watch that Jay-Z has, the 5004P model with a silver link band, is nearly impossible to find, but it was valued at $600,000 in 2022, according to IFL Watches. The most intricate Patek Philippe watch belongs to Jay-Z. Jay-Z wearing the Patek Phillipe Grandmaster Chime Reference 6300G in 2019. Patek Philippe/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Sean Combs The Grandmaster Chime is considered Patek Philippe's most complicated watch, with more than 1,500 individual components. The company made the watch in 2014 to commemorate its 175th anniversary, and only seven were produced. Six went to the watchmaker's most dedicated collectors (who apparently had to apply for the privilege of buying one), while the seventh went to the company's museum in Geneva. Patek Philippe then went on to make the Grandmaster Chime in other fabrications. Jay-Z has the white gold version, which runs around $2.5 million, according to reports. He acquired the Patek Philippe 2499 in a tight-lipped deal. A Patek Philippe 2499 went up for auction in 2011. Harold Cunningham/Getty Images Patek Philippe produced this watch in limited quantities from 1950 to 1985. Only 349 were made. Jay-Z's Patek Philippe 2499 was previously owned by Swedish watch collector and dealer Tony Kavak, who had a yellow-gold band specially made for the piece. As Kavak tells it, the watch wasn't initially for sale. "The watch is so exclusive that I often chose not to wear it in public, and I always wear my watches, that's my philosophy," Kavak told watch site Bezl. But he knew Jay-Z was the right person to own the watch, he added. "You should have seen his happiness," Kavak said in an interview with watch blog Hodinkee. "It just reminded me of how happy I get when I find something rare myself." Neither Kavak nor Jay-Z would reveal the deal's cost, but in 2022, a similar watch sold at auction for $7.68 million. He wore two different F.P. Journe pieces to the 2026 Super Bowl. Jay-Z photographs his daughter at the 2026 Super Bowl. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/Getty Images His first FP Journe Tourbillon Souverain was set with 93 baguette diamonds circling it and even more across its face, according to Celeb Watch Spotter. Jay-Z wore the piece for a meeting with Tom Brady. His wife Beyoncé later shared photos from Super Bowl weekend on her website. They included a close-up shot of another FP Journe Tourbillon Souverain watch, this one in green, on Jay-Z's wrist. Read the original article on Business Insider

Mikel Arteta has confirmed Arsenal are reviewing their warm-up routines after a fourth pre-match injury setback this season.Photo by Carl Recine/Getty ImagesMikel Arteta has confirmed Arsenal are inve...

Obama Says Aliens Exist But Are Not Kept In Area 51 Authored by Rachel Roberts via The Epoch Times, Former U.S. President Barack Obama said in a Feb. 14 podcast interview that aliens are real but that none are kept at the secretive Area 51 military base in the Nevada desert, later adding that he didn’t see any evidence indicating that extraterrestrials have contacted Earth during his presidency. In the interview, when asked, “Are aliens real?” Obama replied, “They’re real, but I haven’t seen them—and they’re not being kept in [Area 51]. There’s no underground facility, unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States.” Obama became the first leader of the United States to affirm the existence of extraterrestrial life when questioned by progressive podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen in a video posted on YouTube. After the interview went viral, Obama said on Instagram that he wanted to “clarify” his comments to Cohen, writing that he was “trying to stick with the spirit of the speed round” while speaking on the podcast. “Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there,” he wrote. “But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we’ve been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!” In 2013, Obama was possibly the first U.S. leader to acknowledge the existence of Area 51, an Air Force base built during the Cold War, which has long been rumored to house extraterrestrials and unidentified flying objects (UFOs). Cohen did not ask Obama a follow-up question on the issue. Instead, he asked the former president what his first question had been upon entering the White House. “Where are the aliens?” Obama joked in response. Some critics, including British political commentator Calvin Robinson, said Cohen should have asked Obama for more information about aliens. “When a former President of the United States says on the record there are aliens, YOU FOLLOW UP WITH RELEVANT QUESTIONS. You do not continue reading from your script,” he wrote on X. The U.S. government first acknowledged Area 51’s existence in 2013 through a Freedom of Information request and has declassified documents detailing its history and purpose. The base has been a testing ground for a host of top-secret aircraft, including the U-2 in the 1950s and later the F-117 stealth fighter. Trump Admin on Aliens President Donald Trump has expressed skepticism about the existence of aliens, while acknowledging that “anything is possible.” Trump addressed the subject in several media appearances during the 2024 presidential campaign. On a podcast with Lex Fridman, Trump said he would consider pushing the Pentagon to release additional UFO footage that many believe is classified. “Oh yeah, sure, I’ll do that. I would do that. I’d love to do that,” Trump said, noting that public pressure to disclose records relating to UFOs is similar to that surrounding the John F. Kennedy assassination. On Logan Paul’s “Impaulsive” podcast in June 2025, Trump said, “Am I a believer? No, I can’t say I am." “But I have met with people, serious people, that say there’s some really strange things flying around out there.” Trump added that given the size of the universe, “Why wouldn’t there be something, somebody?” Vice President JD Vance has expressed his personal enthusiasm, telling the “Ruthless” podcast in August 2025 that he is “obsessed with the whole UFO thing.” “What’s actually going on? What were those videos all about? What’s actually happening?” Vance probed. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said last August that she believes aliens may exist and that the U.S. government holds classified information on the subject. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in Washington on Dec. 2, 2025. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images Gabbard pledged to share disclosures from ongoing investigations into UFOs amid growing discussion of the phenomena at the highest levels of government. Pentagon Cases Unresolved The Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) continues to investigate more than 1,600 reports of “unidentified aerial phenomena,” an official term that has largely replaced “UFOs.” At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in November 2024, AARO’s director, Jon T. Kosloski, detailed cases the military believes it has solved—such as the widely circulated 2016 “GOFAST” video, now thought to show an object flying at 13,000 feet rather than right above the water—as well as other incidents which have so far defied explanation. Previous presidents, including Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, have discussed their curiosity about alien life without confirming a belief in it. Carter reported that he saw an unidentified bright object in the sky when he was governor of Georgia in 1969, although he later said it was likely a natural phenomenon. A view of Area 51. Google Maps/Screenshot via The Epoch Times Clinton said that he was curious about the possibility of extraterrestrial life and that he had asked aides to look into both Area 51 and the Roswell incident of 1947, which gave rise to much speculation about a government cover-up. After Air Force personnel recovered metallic and rubber debris near Roswell, New Mexico, the U.S. Army Air Forces announced that they were in possession of a “flying disc” before retracting the statement within a day. Clinton said he was told there was no evidence of alien life in connection with the incident. In 1995, he joked about the Roswell incident, saying, “If the U.S. Air Force did recover any alien bodies, they didn’t tell me about it.” The American public is increasingly convinced that aliens exist and have visited Earth, according to recent polls. More than half (56 percent) of Americans believe extraterrestrials definitely or probably exist, according to a 2025 YouGov poll. Democrat (61 percent) and Independent (59 percent) voters are more likely than Republicans (46 percent) to believe aliens exist, with 73 percent of Americans believing the government would hide evidence of UFOs if it had any, and just 13 percent thinking it would be transparent, according to the same survey. Tyler Durden Tue, 02/17/2026 - 17:00

Vinod Khosla says stock prices aren't the way to evaluate AI bubbles. Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images Vinod Khosla says the rise of AI might warrant steeper taxes on capital and none for most workers. The billionaire VC wrote on X that AI displacing workers could shrink the labor part of the economy. Khosla wrote that some popular tax breaks were "special interest goodies" and not "true capitalism." If artificial intelligence eliminates millions of jobs, it might make sense to scrap income taxes for the vast majority of Americans and target capital instead, Vinod Khosla says. "AI will transform economies and need a rethink of capitalism & equity," the billionaire venture capitalist wrote in an X post on Monday. "Labor portion of economy (vs capital) will decline sharply. Should we eliminate preferential treatment of capital gains tax and equalize to ordinary income?" Khosla — who cofounded Sun Microsystems and made the first VC investment in OpenAI — was making the point that AI replacing labor on a grand scale might warrant greater taxes on assets such as stocks and real estate. The veteran financier, who founded Khosla Ventures after leaving Kleiner Perkins, attached a video highlighting some of the jobs that could be taken by AI, from accountants and therapists to truck drivers and chip designers. AI will transform economies and need a rethink of capitalism & equity. Labor portion of economy (vs capital) will decline sharply. Should we eliminate preferential treatment of capital gains tax and equalize to ordinary income? 40% of capital gains taxes are paid by those with… pic.twitter.com/7oSA9xj5Ko — Vinod Khosla (@vkhosla) February 16, 2026 Khosla said in a follow-up post that ramping up taxes on capital would generate so much revenue that the government could scrap taxes for most of the roughly 150 million US taxpayers. "Could easily eliminate bottom 125 million taxpayers from the tax rolls and be revenue neutral at the same time with a capital gains tax equal to ordinary income and a few other tweaks," he wrote. He added that tax breaks such as carrying over tax losses and tax-free borrowing against unrealized gains — which he called a "true abuse!" — are "special interest goodies inserted by lobbyists and campaign contributions, not true capitalism." Khosla didn't address common critiques of higher taxes, including that they can discourage entrepreneurship and investment, that collecting them can be tricky, and that wealthy people may leave the country to avoid them. Khosla has previously underscored that the advent of AI may require sweeping policy changes. He estimated in late 2024 that in 25 years' time, AI could be doing 80% of the work in 80% of all jobs, and universal basic income might be needed to compensate for job destruction. "As AI reduces the need for human labor, UBI could become crucial, with governments playing a key role in regulating AI's impact and ensuring equitable wealth distribution," he wrote on his firm's website. Khosla isn't alone in predicting AI will change the fabric of society. Elon Musk suggested late last year that work could become "optional" and money might become "irrelevant" if advances in AI and robotics generate abundant resources for all. Moreover, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO recently said that retirement savings may not be needed in 10 or 20 years, as everyone might have "whatever stuff they want." However, skeptics such as Michael Burry of "The Big Short" fame have cautioned the AI boom is a speculative bubble, tech companies are overinvesting in microchips and data centers that will quickly become obsolete, and true AI is further away than many think. Read the original article on Business Insider

I moved from the US to Brazil and have experienced some culture shocks along the way. Isaiah Reynolds After losing my job, I decided to move from Chicago to São Paulo, Brazil. I love my new home, but I've experienced some culture shocks during the transition. For example, I didn't expect to feel chilly in São Paulo, and the food is different (in a good way). After an incredible three weeks traveling around Brazil, I was on the first leg of my flight home to Chicago when I received a message from my director at work — a 15-minute "check-in" with an HR representative. Worried I might receive news of a layoff, I frantically deboarded the plane after landing in Rio de Janeiro and joined the call in a quiet corner of the duty-free section of the airport. There, I was informed that my role had been eliminated. Faced with the reality of returning home to the frigid Chicago temperatures with no job, I quickly changed my connecting flight and decided to hostel-hop around Brazil for another month. However, even that extra month didn't feel like long enough in the country I'd fallen in love with. Exploring beautiful destinations while practicing a new language every day was incredibly fulfilling for me. Once I went back to the US, I realized I was looking for ways to push myself out of my comfort zone. I had always wanted to live abroad, and my unemployment seemed like the perfect alignment to make that move to another part of the world. So, a few months after my original trip, I relocated from Chicago to São Paulo and was greeted by lots of surprises along the way. Coming from Chicago, I didn't expect to feel chilly in São Paulo The temperatures in São Paulo caught me by surprise. Cristian Lourenço/Getty Images Growing up in the Midwest, I've endured my fair share of snowstorms and wind chills so cold that I felt as though my eyelids would freeze together. So, I felt well-equipped for any kind of cold weather Mother Nature could ever throw my way. Even so, I wasn't prepared for just how chilly Brazil could feel — especially during a springtime cold front while living in an area without access to central heating. Although Brazil's springtime temperatures (which last from September through November) are similar to what I experienced during the Chicago fall, it was difficult to adjust to the lack of central heating. So, I found myself wearing multiple layers of T-shirts and the only hoodie I brought with me. Before I moved, I'd only visited Brazil during its smoldering summer months, so I had naively assumed the subtropical temperatures in São Paulo would be pleasant year-round. The food is different — and that's not a bad thing I've grown to love acarajé: stuffed black-eyed-pea fritters Isaiah Reynolds Between seeing unrefrigerated milk in grocery stores to trying vegetables I've never heard of, the day-to-day food in Brazil is a lot different than what I was used to in the States. For example, contrary to the common American adage, breakfast doesn't seem to be the most important meal of the day here; many Brazilians opt for bread or fruit instead of the hefty pancakes or sausage links I was accustomed to. For lunch and dinner, many locals seem to rely on a tried-and-true formula: arroz (rice), feijão (beans), some meat, and salad. Classic dishes like stroganoff (a creamy chicken or beef dish topped with crispy shoestring potatoes) or feijoada (pork and black bean stew) may enter the rotation. Still, the aforementioned combo is a popular default dish that I've grown to love. Although tavern-style Chicago pizza still holds a special place in my heart, my new Brazilian favorites include acarajé (stuffed black-eyed pea fritters fried in dendé oil), acerola (a sweet cherry fruit), and doce de leite (sweet caramelized milk used as a topping or filling). Plus, there's a pretty great international food scene here, too. While wandering around the city, I've come across a wide range of cuisines, from Lebanese and West African restaurants to Colombian and Venezuelan spots. Although I was initially worried about feeling welcomed, I can see myself putting down roots here One thing I've noticed since my first visit to the country is that Brazilians are very proud to be Brazilian. From football matches to the celebrations that occur when Brazilian films are nominated for Academy Awards, the people here seem to be the loudest and proudest fans in the room. Because of this, I was worried I might not feel as welcome as an outsider. Instead, I've found an endearing level of curiosity among many Brazilians I've met, who either want to practice English or ask how I'm enjoying their beloved country. This openness to connect has softened a lot of the original culture shock during my move. Although very different from my life in Chicago, I'm excited to continue building a life for myself in São Paulo. Read the original article on Business Insider

Lufthansa's new Allegris business class has faced certification issues on the Boeing 787. It appears to have fixed the problem. MICHAELA STACHE/AFP via Getty Images Lufthansa's Boeing 787 business class debacle is almost over after a yearslong certification delay. The airline has been flying some Dreamliners with only four of the 28 high-dollar seats sold. Lufthansa expects to boost the number of sellable 787 business-class seats to 25 by mid-April. Lufthansa can finally start making money on its Boeing 787 Dreamliners after a certification debacle left one of its most lucrative cabins largely empty for months. The German flag carrier said on Monday that it will begin selling tickets for its Allegris business class on the 787. Allegris, Lufthansa's signature cabin concept, spans economy, premium economy, business, and first class, but the business class rollout has been particularly tricky. The program first launched on the Airbus A350 in May 2024, with the cabin spanning the entire plane. The first Allegris-equipped 787 followed in October 2025, but certification of business class dragged on due to the cabin's complexity: there are five staggered seat configurations in a single airplane cabin — some with doors or more legroom, others with extra-long beds. The middle front-row suite can be combined into a double bed. The first-row window seats have extra workspace. Lufthansa This is because the Dreamliner's geometry — including a slightly tighter usable footprint and different fuselage contouring compared to the A350 — made it harder to demonstrate to regulators that passengers could evacuate quickly from every seat, whether staggered, partially enclosed, or fully cocooned, in an emergency. The result? For months, only four of the 28 business class seats could be sold — the front-row Business Class Suites — leaving the remaining 24 empty. Business class is a cash cow for airlines, and by flying most of the cabin empty as competitors pour investments into their own premium seats, Lufthansa was essentially leaving money on the table. It has been a particularly costly headache for a carrier in the midst of a multi-year turnaround plan to restore profitability after years of financial pressure from frequent maintenance, aircraft shortages, rising operating costs, and labor strikes. Lufthansa even opted for an already-certified business-class seat to retrofit onto its Airbus A380s rather than risk another prolonged and costly certification process. But the saga is nearing the finish line. Beginning April 15, Lufthansa plans to carry passengers in 25 business-class seats on its 787s, with three remaining blocked in the second row of the cabin. Bookings are open, though it's unclear whether the news indicates the seats have been fully certified or if that's just Lufthansa's expected timeline. Lufthansa said "Classic" seats — one of the Allegris categories available — are free to secure with the premium fare. The others require an extra fee: this includes the first-row suites, the "Privacy" seat next to the window, the "Extra Space" seat with more legroom, and the "Extra Long Bed" with an over seven-foot sleeping surface. The three second-row seats that are blocked — and not yet available for booking — are two privacy seats and an extra-legroom seat. Some Allegris seats can be fully enclosed with extra workspace; others can combine into a double bed. LUKAS BARTH/AFP via Getty Images Lufthansa flies eight Allegris-equipped Dreamliners and expects to have 29 by the end of 2027. They are set to first fly from Frankfurt to Rio de Janeiro, Bogota, Cape Town, Shanghai, Hyderabad, Hong Kong, and Austin; New York-JFK and Los Angeles join the roster in June, followed by Delhi in July. As part of Lufthansa's greater multibillion-dollar fleet overhaul plan, Allegris is also being fit onto the airline's existing A350s and Boeing 747-8s, as well as its future, yet-to-be-certified Boeing 777Xs. A similar spacing issue on the 747 double-deckers' upper level means it will have a split business class: the lower deck will have Allegris, while upstairs will feature the plane's original cabin. Read the original article on Business Insider

Maya Hawke and Christian Lee Hutson. Bruce Glikas/WireImage/Getty Maya Hawke and Christian Lee Hutson got married on Saturday. The "Stranger Things" star and musician had been linked for years. Hutson is known for his folk music, which is produced by Grammy-winner Phoebe Bridgers. Love was certainly in the air this Valentine's Day as "Stranger Things" star Maya Hawke married musician Christian Lee Hutson on Saturday. The duo tied the knot at St. George's Episcopal Church in New York City. Guests included Hawke's celebrity parents, Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, and Maya's fellow "Stranger Things" stars, including Sadie Sink, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Joe Keery, Gaten Matarazzo, and Natalie Dyer, according to People. Hawke, 27, and Hutson, 35, were first sighted together in 2023. The two have since collaborated on music projects, including Hawke's second studio album "Moss," and she sings on Hutson's latest album "Paradise Pop. 10." Here's everything we know about Christian Lee Hutson Hutson found his groove after teaming with a Grammy-winner. Christian Lee Hutson. Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for The Recording Academy Hutson was born in Kansas City, Missouri, but was raised in Los Angeles, where he's lived since he was 5. He began playing guitar at 12 and was influenced by Hank Williams and Elliott Smith. Hutson forged a country-folk sound in the early 2010s while part of The Driftwood Singers, a group composed of students from the California Institute of the Arts. He then went solo and released two albums that didn't get much attention. Then everything changed in 2018 when he met Phoebe Bridgers. The Grammy-winner has since been Hutson's producer and main collaborator, which led to his first major album, 2020's "Beginners," and follow-ups "Quitters" in 2022 and "Paradise Pop. 10," in 2024, which Hawke is featured on. How Hawke and Hutson met Maya Hawke and Christian Lee Hutson performing at the 37th Annual Tibet House US Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall on February 26, 2024 in New York City. Noam Galai/Getty Images The couple was first seen together in December 2023, but they had already collaborated musically for years prior. Hutson wrote on Hawke's second album, "Moss" (2022). The "Inside Out 2" star talked about working with Hutson in a 2021 Interview Magazine chat with Margaret Qualley. "And I sent him some poems, and he sent me back some unbelievable songs," Hawke said. The two have since collaborated on Hawke's 2024 album "Chaos Angel," Hutson's latest album "Paradise Pop. 10," and performed live together. The couple became red carpet official in April 2025 when they smiled for cameras at the opening night of "John Proctor Is the Villain," which starred Hawke's "Stranger Things" castmate, Sadie Sink. A week later, Hawke was seen wearing what appeared to be an engagement ring on her ring finger, according to People. Read the original article on Business Insider

Lisa Werner/Getty Images Gen Z now leads restaurant loyalty signups, reshaping rewards programs. Survey data shows that diners will switch brands for better, faster loyalty perks. QSR giants are doubling down on digital rewards to win Gen Z — and it's paying off. Gen Z isn't just signing up for restaurant loyalty programs. They're raising the bar for how those programs have to work. By 2024, nearly half of all new loyalty program signups came from Gen Z as the cohort overtook millennials as the most active generation in restaurant rewards programs for the first time, according to data from PAR Punchh, a loyalty program software from the foodservice tech company PAR Technology. That number has only increased as more and more of the generation, aged 14-29, start flexing their spending power. "Gen Z isn't just participating," Savneet Singh, PAR's CEO, told Business Insider. "They're redefining loyalty." National data backs up just how central these programs have become for this generation. Gen Z consumers make up a higher-than-average share of restaurant customers who say being a member of a loyalty or rewards program is important when choosing where to eat, the National Restaurant Association's 2026 State of the Restaurant Industry report showed. That holds true across dining behaviors — whether they're eating in, ordering delivery, or grabbing takeout — and across segments, from drive-thru and limited-service chains to full-service restaurants. Singh argues that the generational takeover is structural, not cyclical. Gen Z grew up with smartphones and came of age during a pandemic that turbocharged mobile ordering and digital payments. For them, digital ordering, real-time rewards, and seamless app experiences aren't just perks — they're table stakes. "When loyalty is frictionless, Gen Z shows up," Singh said. "When it's clunky, they move on immediately." Rewards programs are no longer optional New survey data from PAR underscores the significance of loyalty programs for consumers. In a December report based on a survey of 1,000 US diners, nearly 70% said loyalty programs help them manage costs in today's inflationary environment. One-third said they're using restaurant loyalty programs more often because of economic pressure, and another third said their usage has held steady. A good deal from a rewards program can make all the difference. One in four respondents said they'd switch to a less-preferred restaurant for better loyalty perks, and half said they compare offers before deciding where to eat. How restaurants respond to that demand defines which formats resonate most with younger diners. PAR's platform data shows Gen Z over-indexing at quick-service restaurants like McDonald's and Taco Bell. In 2024, they accounted for more than a third of check-ins at QSR brands, compared with 20.8% at fast-casual restaurants like Chipotle and Panera Bread. Singh said the appeal is execution: speed, price, convenience, and integrated loyalty perks in one place. Fast casual establishments, by contrast, can sit in "an awkward middle ground" — not as convenient as QSRs and not as experiential as full-service dining. In a crowded landscape where PAR found that over half of consumers prefer managing no more than five loyalty accounts, clear value and seamless execution can determine which brands make the cut. And the chains that embrace the generational trend are already seeing the payoff. Taco Bell delivered 7% same-store sales growth in the fourth quarter, driven in part by transaction gains, especially among younger customers. The Mexican chain's active loyalty members climbed 31% in 2025, and digital channels saw double-digit growth, as app-exclusive drops and rewards nudged its core customers to visit more often. CEO Sean Tresvant told Business Insider earlier this month that "loyalty is going to continue to be a big story for us," adding that Taco Bell will be "really leaning into" its rewards strategy going forward. McDonald's is also leaning heavily into digital engagement. On its fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, CFO Ian Borden described active loyalty membership as the company's "single most important digital metric." McDonald's has about 210 million 90-day active loyalty users across 70 markets, and 46 million active users in the US, he added. Borden said that, in the US, customers visited 10 and a half times in the year before joining the loyalty program — and 26 times in the year after. "When we get consumers into our loyalty program, they visit more often, they spend more over time, and they interact with us more frequently, so they get more value in their interaction with us, and we get more value by them interacting with us," Borden said. Starbucks also recently revamped its rewards program, bringing back its tiered system, extending the window for members to redeem their free birthday reward, and introducing a quicker-to-earn tier that lets customers redeem 60 Stars for $2 off any purchase — a move that lowers the barrier to instant gratification, which Singh said is particularly appealing to Gen Z. That kind of immediacy matters. PAR's survey found that discounts and free items or upgrades remain the most influential rewards, while more than half of respondents said better reward value, such as a surprise free item after a large order, would prompt them to switch programs. For Singh, the takeaway is clear: loyalty is less about points and more about performance. The brands that make participation effortless, deliver instant value, and respect privacy boundaries won't just win Gen Z — they'll define the next era of dining. Read the original article on Business Insider

Nvidia's CEO marked his 63rd birthday with a strawberry cake from Paris Baguette. Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images;Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images The cake Jensen Huang had for his birthday is easier to find than Nvidia's GPUs. Huang, who turned 63, celebrated his birthday with a strawberry soft cream cake from Paris Baguette. He celebrated at a fried chicken joint with about 30 engineers behind SK hynix's DRAM and HBM. Nvidia's GPUs may be hard to snag, but Jensen Huang's birthd...

TSA PreCheck and Global Entry are temporarily suspended amid a partial government shutdown. : Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images The Department of Homeland Security has tempora

An aerial view of a 33 megawatt data center with a closed-loop cooling system on October 20, 2025, in Vernon, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images This post originally appeared in the BI Today newsletter. You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here. Looking ahead The data center boom crept up on America, and we were ready. Business Insider jumped on the topic nearly two years ago, and this past week we won a George Polk Award for our work, which included a first-of-its-kind ...

OpenAI and SpaceX could have massive IPOs this year. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Fabrice COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images Elon Musk's SpaceX wants to launch satellites that act as data centers into space. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said placing data centers in space isn't feasible right now. He called the idea "ridiculous" during an event in New Delhi. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman famously don't agree on much. The latest point of contention: data centers in space. Musk has made...

Non-monogamy comes with its own challenges, Dr. Justin R. Garcia, the executive director of the Kinsey Institute, told Business Insider. Hinterhaus Productions/Getty Images Dr. Justin R. Garcia, head of the Kinsey Institute, said non-monogamy has gotten more popular. However, he said open relationships and polyamory tend not to work for most people. Some find non-monogamy to be too much work in practice. Open relationships have gotten a cultural glow-up among younger adults. In practice, th...

JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette in New York City, and Paul Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon are seen on the set of "Love Story." Mitchell Gerber/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images; Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images "Love Story" follows the doomed love story of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. The show recreates several of Bessette-Kennedy's iconic looks and timeless style. The show's costume designer was replaced after initial backlash to how star Sarah Pidgeon was styled. The iconic style of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy has been often imitated but never replicated — until now. "Love Story," which is produced by Ryan Murphy for FX, chronicles the fated relationship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, who died in a plane crash off the coast of Martha's Vineyard in July 1999. The series has drawn praise for its striking casting — with Sarah Pidgeon bearing an uncanny resemblance to Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and Paul Anthony Kelly closely capturing the look of John F. Kennedy Jr. — as well as for its thoughtful costume design, which carefully recreates and honors Bessette-Kennedy's real-life style. Here's a look at how the show recreated and paid homage to Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's style. The series recreated an early Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy look down to the leather loafers. Jenny Landy and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy in New York City in 1995; Sarah Pidgeon is seen filming "Love Story" in New York City. Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images; TheStewartofNY/GC Images In this scene, before she meets John F. Kennedy Jr. for the first time, Carolyn (played by Sarah Pidgeon) wears a simple black turtleneck, flared black capri pants, and black leather loafers. In both the show and real life, Bessette-Kennedy worked as a showroom assistant for Calvin Klein before rising the ranks to become head of publicity for the fashion house. Despite marrying into American royalty, Bessette-Kennedy knew how to perfect a casual look. JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette in New York City, and Paul Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon are seen on the set of "Love Story." Mitchell Gerber/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images; Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images She was often seen wearing loose Levi's 517 jeans, her hair slicked back into a bun, with a simple monochromatic coat over the top. When it came to recreating the New York City icon's style, the series didn't always nail it. Early leaked images from the set were criticized online for being too modern, fast-fashion-looking, and different from Kennedy-Bessette's more upscale style. In response to the backlash, the show brought in a new costume designer, Rudy Mance, who dedicated himself to making the costumes as accurate as possible. "I get it. I'm protective of [John and Carolyn] as well. We all just wanted to be as precise and accurate as possible," Mance told Variety. Mance said he and his team studied for months throughout filming, comparing old paparazzi photos of the couple with the new looks he was creating for the show and pulling in as many archival and vintage pieces as possible to accurately recreate the look. Part of Bessette-Kennedy's enduring appeal was her dedication to a minimalist, understated style that felt polished yet effortlessly cool. Lawrence Schwartzwald/Sygma/Getty Images; Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images "There's so much mystery about Carolyn. My familiarity with her was through paparazzi images," lead actor Sarah Pidgeon told Vogue. Mance said that recreating Kennedy's style before she was thrust into the public eye was the most challenging. "Everybody knows what they wore from 1996 to 1999, but we were telling the story of how they met," he said, according to Glamour. Her formal looks remained simple but added a sexy edge, a balance "Love Story" tried to recreate. Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and JFK Jr. in 1998; Sarah Pidgeon in "Love Story." Steve Eichner/Penske Media/Getty Images; FX Networks Bessette-Kennedy often looked effortlessly sexy when she stepped out on red carpets, like in the strapless black Yohji Yamamoto gown photographed above. Pidgeon wears a similar dress for her meet-cute with Kelly in episode one of the series. It was delicate work for Pidgeon to strike the same balance, especially when fans reacted strongly to early images of her in the role. However, the actor told Vogue she was ultimately grateful for the public feedback about her portrayal. "The online conversations at the beginning of the process served as a reminder of how important it was to get our portrayal of Carolyn correct. She grew even more important to me," Pidgeon told Vogue. "People really, really love Carolyn, and my priority every single day on set was doing justice to her legacy." And even when they were recreating simple outfits, the "Love Story" team ensured the fit was similar to what Carolyn would have worn. Carolyn Bessette Kennedy poses for a picture at a gala in 1999; Sarah Pidgeon in "Love Story." Evan Agostini/Liaison/Getty Images; FX Networks Although Bessette-Kennedy's simple outfits could be recreated with off-brand designers — like the white blouse and floor-length black skirt by Yohji Yamamoto that she wore in 1999 — Mance was dedicated to finding archival pieces. Pidgeon was wearing true recreations of Bessette-Kennedy's looks whenever possible. He also ensured the pieces would fit Pidgeon similarly to how they fit Bessette-Kennedy, as Pidgeon told Vogue. "We found her Prada and Valentino coats, and fitted some Levi's so that they looked exactly how they fit Carolyn," Pidgeon told Vogue. By recreating the magic of Bessette-Kennedy's wardrobe, the "Love Story" team offered a window into her world. Carolyn Bessette Kennedy in 1999; Sarah Pidgeon on the set of "Love Story." Justin Ide/Getty Images; Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images Kennedy's clothes were always going to play a central part in her on-screen portrayal since style was so critical to her identity. However, Pidgeon said she hoped the clothes she wears offer a jumping-off point for the total woman she hopes to portray. "She is known as this minimalist fashion icon, but I learned that she was also vivacious, funny, and had a wildness about her," she told Vogue. Read the original article on Business Insider

Tyra Banks poses with cast members from "America's Next Top Model" in 2007. Evan Agostini/Getty Images "America's Next Top Model," which debuted in 2003, has come under fire for its controversial mom

The USS Lionfish docked at Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider The USS Lionfish was commissioned in 1944 and earned one battle star for service in World War II. It sank a Japanese submarine, rescued the crew of a B-29 bomber, and served as a training submarine. The Balao-class submarine is now a museum docked at Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts. The World War II submarine USS Lionfish was part of America's "Silent Service." Despite comprising less than 2% of all US Navy vessels during World War II, submarines like the USS Lionfish sank 55% of Japanese vessels in battle. This once-fearsome vessel is now a 311-foot-long museum exhibit, allowing the public to learn about its top-secret wartime operations. Take a look inside the USS Lionfish. Commissioned in 1944, the USS Lionfish earned one battle star for service during World War II. The USS Lionfish at sea in an undated photo. Arkivi/Getty Images Over the Balao-class submarine's two war patrols, she sank a Japanese submarine, destroyed a schooner, and rescued the crew of a downed American B-29 bomber. The USS Lionfish was recommissioned for the Korean War, serving from 1951 to 1953. From 1960 to 1971, the USS Lionfish served as a reserve training submarine, teaching crew members to operate similar vessels. Since 1973, the USS Lionfish has been on display at Battleship Cove, a maritime museum in Fall River, Massachusetts. The USS Lionfish. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider Tickets to Battleship Cove cost $25 per adult. I visited the museum in January to take a closer look at the retired submarine. The first stop on my self-guided tour was the forward torpedo room, where 16 torpedomen slept and worked. The forward torpedo room. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider The forward torpedo room featured six torpedo tubes, each storing a torpedo, and 10 reloads. The 16 crew members slept alongside the torpedoes on pull-out bunks, remaining ready to fire at all times. Behind the torpedo room was officers' country, which included the officers' pantry. The officers' pantry. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider In the officers' pantry, meals for the higher-ranking crew members were reheated and plated on Navy china. They ate the same food as the rest of the sailors, but in a fancier setting. Officers used the wardroom for dining, working, and relaxing. The wardroom on board the USS Lionfish. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider It could also serve as an operating room in medical emergencies. Junior officers slept in a room with four bunks. The junior officers' quarters. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider Officers enjoyed more privacy on board than enlisted men. Senior officers had even more privacy in a room with a triple bunk. The senior officers' quarters. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider The submarine's second-in-command, known as the executive officer, slept in this room. The commanding officer slept in the only private room on board the submarine. The commanding officer's stateroom. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider The commanding officer's stateroom featured a small desk that functioned as a private workspace. Chief petty officers slept five to a room in their quarters. The chief petty officers' quarters. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider Chief petty officers served as liaisons between the officers and the crew. This room was also colloquially known as the "goat locker" since the more experienced officers were affectionately nicknamed "old goats." In the ship's office, an administrator known as the yeoman handled all of the ship's paperwork. The ship's office. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider Personnel files, orders of supplies, and other administrative tasks were the yeoman's domain. Equipment in the control room managed the submarine's depth, speed, steering, and navigation. The control room. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider The commanding officer issued orders from the control center or the conning tower located directly above. The USS Lionfish's conning tower wasn't open to the public, but I did get to look inside one while touring another Balao-class submarine, the USS Becuna. Communications and covert operations were handled in the radio room. The radio room. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider The USS Lionfish was equipped with sonar, or "sound navigation and ranging," to listen for enemy ships in the surrounding waters. Chefs prepared meals for the submarine's 80 crew members in the main galley. The main galley. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider The galley prepared four meals a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and midnight rations known as "mid-rats." The crew's mess was an all-purpose room where sailors ate, lounged, and played games. The crew's mess. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider Frozen and refrigerated food was stored in compartments underneath the floor. The bunks have been removed from the crew's berthing during ongoing restoration work. The crew's berthing. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider Other Balao-class submarines held 35 or 36 bunks in this space. The USS Lionfish featured two engine rooms, each containing two diesel engines. The forward engine room. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider Each engine room was responsible for half of the ship's electric and propulsion power. In the maneuvering room, switches controlled the flow of electricity to the submarine's generators. The maneuvering room. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider While surfaced, the submarine's four diesel engines powered its generators, which in turn powered the ship's motors. While submerged, storage batteries powered the motors. My tour ended with the after torpedo room at the back of the submarine. The after torpedo room. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider Around 13 enlisted men worked and slept in the after torpedo room, which featured four torpedo tubes. The USS Lionfish remains unique among World War II submarines. The USS Lionfish docked at Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider Over 50 submarines underwent a Greater Underwater Propulsive Power 1-A, or "GUPPY," modernization after World War II. However, the USS Lionfish remained as it was. Museum staff and volunteers are working to restore the USS Lionfish and preserve its original configuration. Even in frigid temperatures, I saw volunteers holding tools and walking carefully around the deck's open panels, revealing the complex mechanics beneath. Read the original article on Business Insider

John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, attended the Municipal Art Society Gala in 1998. Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, and her sister died in a 1999 plane crash near Martha's Vineyard. Rumors of a "Kennedy curse" were fueled by multiple family tragedies over the decades. JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette's relationship is now the topic of an FX series, "Love Story." The Kennedy family has been subjected to many tragedies over the years, including two assassinations and a plane crash that took the lives of John F. Kennedy Jr. and two other passengers. Nearly 27 years ago, on July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and her older sister Lauren Bessette were killed in a plane crash off the coast of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. There were no survivors from the accident. The relationship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy is now the topic of an FX series executive-produced by Ryan Murphy, "Love Story." Their deaths became a major news story and perpetuated rumors of a "Kennedy curse." JFK Jr.'s father, former President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1963. His uncle, Robert "Bobby" Kennedy, was assassinated five years later in 1968. And two years before JFK Jr.'s death, his cousin Michael Kennedy also died after hitting a tree while skiing in Aspen, Colorado. Here's what we know about the plane crash that killed John F. Kennedy Jr. and two others. John F. Kennedy Jr. frequently made headlines throughout the 1990s. John F. Kennedy, Jr. at the Democratic National Convention in 1988. Bettmann/Getty Images As the son of a president and a member of one of America's most prominent political dynasties, John F. Kennedy Jr. was destined for the spotlight. JFK Jr. was born on November 25, 1960, just two weeks after his father was elected president. His father was assassinated on November 22, 1963, just three days shy of JFK Jr.'s third birthday. JFK Jr., affectionately nicknamed "John-John" by the public, attended the funeral on his birthday and was famously photographed saluting his father's casket. Throughout much of his adolescence and adulthood, he mostly remained out of the public eye. However, his public image began to change after he introduced his uncle, Ted Kennedy, at the Democratic National Convention in 1988. In September 1988, People named Kennedy, who was then a 27-year-old third-year law student at NYU, the "Sexiest Man Alive." JFK Jr. also dated a few celebrities throughout the 1990s, including "Sex and the City" star Sarah Jessica Parker, Cindy Crawford, and Daryl Hannah. John F. Kennedy Jr. began dating Carolyn Bessette, a publicist for Calvin Klein, in 1994. John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in 1995. Rose Hartman/Getty Images They met in the fitting room at Calvin Klein, where Bessette helped JFK Jr. pick out wardrobe items, Elizabeth Beller wrote in "Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy," cited by People. Tall, sophisticated, and beautiful, JFK Jr.'s new girlfriend captivated the public. After two years of dating, the pair married in an intimate ceremony on Cumberland Island, Georgia, People reported. While their wedding ceremony was private, their relationship was anything but, thanks to the prying eyes of the paparazzi. Evan Agostini/Getty Images; NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images The media attention may have even inspired Kennedy to get his pilot's license in 1998. "That was some of the happiest times he ever had. Floating around with the buzzards in his Buckeye [plane]. It was the freedom," his close friend Robbie Littell told "JFK Jr: An Intimate Oral Biography" author RoseMarie Terenzio, according to People. "He said, 'It's the only place I can go where no one is bothering me. I have complete silence, and no one can get to me except the air traffic controllers.' Maybe that gives you insight into what he was really dealing with on the ground," his college friend Gary Ginsberg said, People reported. John F. Kennedy Jr. was traveling to Martha's Vineyard with his wife and her older sister when their plane was reported missing. The hangar where John Kennedy Jr. kept his Piper Saratoga airplane. Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty Images The Washington Post reported that Kennedy departed Essex County Airport near Fairfield, New Jersey, at around 8:38 p.m. on Friday, July 16, 1999. The sun was already beginning to set and "hazy conditions," which had been reported earlier in the evening, were getting worse, People reported. Kennedy planned to drop his sister-in-law Lauren Bessette on Martha's Vineyard before traveling to his family's compound in Hyannis Port with Carolyn. The couple was due to attend his cousin Rory Kennedy's wedding the following day, according to People. However, the plane never landed in Martha's Vineyard. An unidentified driver reported the plane had failed to arrive at Martha's Vineyard Airport as expected, according to the Post, citing an NBC report. It kicked off a search for the missing aircraft in the early hours of July 17. The Kennedy family notified the Cape Cod Coast Guard that the couple had not made it back to Hyannis. A Coast Guard helicopter searching for debris from John Kennedy Jr.'s plane. Daniel Goodrich/Newsday RM/Getty Images The Washington Post reported that the Coast Guard then began investigating whether the plane had landed at another airport. By 4 a.m., the Coast Guard began searching for the missing plane, and by 7:30 a.m., the Air Force and Coast Guard had launched 20 aircraft vehicles and two boats to search the area between Long Island and Martha's Vineyard, according to the Post's timeline. On Sunday afternoon, what was presumed to be debris from the plane was found on Philbin Beach on Martha's Vineyard. Among the debris was a headrest that was later concluded to be from the missing aircraft and a black suitcase that contained Lauren Bessette's business card. Rory Kennedy's wedding, scheduled for 6 p.m. that night, was put on hold as the family awaited more news. The Washington Post reported that after more debris was found in the days to follow, the search-and-rescue mission became a search-and-recovery mission. All three of the plane's passengers were now presumed dead. John F. Kennedy Jr. was 38 years old. Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy was 33, and her sister Lauren Bessette was 34. Five days after the crash, the bodies of John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and Lauren Bessette were recovered. Massachusetts State Police divers left Menemsha on Martha's Vineyard on July 19, 1999. DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images The debris field was identified off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, relatively near the estate once owned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Kennedy's mother, The New York Times reported. (Kennedy Onassis died in 1994.) The bodies of John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and Lauren Bessette were discovered by Navy divers on July 22, 1999, after an extensive search approved by President Bill Clinton. The bodies of the crash victims, which were ''near and under'' the main body of the aircraft, were still strapped in, according to the Times. Details began to emerge about what led to the crash. A television technician holds up the official handout map of the search and rescue area off Martha's Vineyard. JOHN MOTTERN/AFP/Getty Images Kennedy had only flown about 72 hours without a flight instructor, and had only about 300 total hours of flying experience, The New York Times reported in July 2000. He had reportedly rejected an offer to have a flight instructor accompany the group on their journey. As a newly trained pilot, Kennedy was not licensed to fly and navigate the air using flying instruments. Instead, he had only trained to fly using sight alone, which would have been extremely difficult in dark or hazy conditions such as those on the night of July 16. Warren Morningstar, a spokesman for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, told the Times that "flying at night over featureless terrain or water, and particularly in haze or in overcast, is a prime setup for spatial disorientation." About an hour into the trip, the plane's flight path became irregular as it began its descent into Martha's Vineyard, indicating that the pilot may have become disoriented by the darkness of the sky and the water, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded. "His flight path into the water is consistent with what is known as a graveyard spiral," Jeff Guzzetti, an NTSB investigator in the accident, told Terenzio, according to People. "The airplane makes a spiral nose down … kind of like going down a drain. The plane went into one final turn and it stayed in that turn pretty much all the way down to the ocean." The aircraft went down in the water about 7 miles from its intended destination of Martha's Vineyard. Mourners pay respects at the floral shrine outside of the building where John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn lived in 1999. Allan Tannenbaum/Getty Images The Washington Post reported that the plane did not send out a distress call. Instead, it made its final descent and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in under 30 seconds. Kennedy, Kennedy-Bessette, and Bessette's bodies were cremated and buried at sea off the coast of Martha's Vineyard on July 22, 1999. "We are filled with unspeakable grief and sadness by the loss of John and Carolyn and Lauren Bessette," Ted Kennedy said in a statement on behalf of the Kennedy family. "John was a shining light in all our lives and in the lives of the nation and the world that first came to know him as a little boy." As the country mourned the loss, rumors of a "Kennedy curse" were reignited. John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy attended the White House Correspondents dinner in 1999. Tyler Mallory/Liaison/Getty Images The extensive search captured the nation's attention, as did the tragedy of the three young passengers' deaths. Yet another tragic accident for the Kennedy family, the plane crash only added to rumors of a Kennedy family curse. "I've looked high and low and cannot find another family since the ancient Greek House of Atreus that has suffered more calamities and misfortunes than the Kennedys," Edward Klein, the author of "The Kennedy Curse: Why Tragedy Has Haunted America's First Family for 150 Years," said, according to The Washington Post. While there are many logical reasons for the fateful plane crash, it's nevertheless poignant that the Kennedy family, one of the wealthiest and most influential political families in the world, has suffered so much tragedy throughout the last 100 years. "The humanity of their story is what keeps us engaged," Kennedy family biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli told NBC News in 2019. "We peer behind the scenes of their wealthy lifestyle, and we see, for all the advantages they have, tragedy can still happen." Read the original article on Business Insider

Marques Brownlee, a well-followed YouTuber and tech reviewer, said he is no longer in contact with Tesla. Chance Yeh/Getty Images for HubSpot Marques Brownlee, the YouTuber known as MKBHD, said he is no longer in contact with Tesla. He said he had to source a car from a local dealership for his latest review. He reviewed the company's latest Model Y Performance, which hit dealerships in September. Social media's most influential tech reviewer said Tesla keeps leaving him on read. Marques Brownlee — better known as MKBHD to his 20.8 million YouTube subscribers — said he had to take a trip to a nearby car dealership to source his own Tesla Model Y Performance for a January review. "Tesla stopped talking to me," Brownlee said in a recent TikTok, filmed as he picked up the SUV from New Jersey EV dealer George Saliba. "It's not cause I gave them a negative review." @georgejsaliba Tesla stopped talking to @Marques Brownlee, so he’s borrowing one of ours to review #cardealership #carreview #tesla ♬ original sound - George Saliba Automakers typically offer loan cars to influencers and journalists for weeklong test drives, and Tesla has supplied Brownlee with its vehicles in the past. In 2022, he called the Model S Plaid the "best overall car of the last decade," after a review. The TikTok clip is the latest sign that the relationship has cooled. In 2023, Brownlee spoke out after the Cybertruck's delivery event. The pickup, which Musk initially said would have a 500-mile range and a starting price under $40,000, launched with just over 300 miles of range and a $70,000 sticker. Brownlee said Tesla's reveal was "straight up not delivering" on its promises. He still took delivery of the new car, but sold the Cybertruck after eight months and replaced it with the Rivian R1T, a rival electric pickup. And in September 20205, Brownlee publicly canceled his $50,000 deposit for two long-awaited Tesla Roadsters. "Tesla has been sitting with my 50 grand for eight years and hasn't done anything with it, obviously," he said on his "Waveform Podcast." Tesla didn't respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. MKBHD's largely positive review Despite the apparent chill in the relationship, Brownlee's latest Tesla review was largely rosy. After spending time with the refreshed Model Y Performance — a dual-motor SUV with about 460 horsepower and a starting price of about $59,130 — Brownlee said Tesla still leads in several key areas. "The thing about testing one and actually driving a Tesla for a while, you start to remember all of the ways that Tesla is still ahead of the competition," he said in the video. He praised the center display as the automotive "gold standard," highlighted improvements to the ride and rear design, and said Tesla's regenerative braking remains best in class. His review wasn't completely glowing. Brownlee said he wants more physical controls and argued that the trim doesn't meaningfully sharpen the steering or overall driving feel in sport mode. He also said Tesla's lead isn't as commanding as it once was, pointing to rising competition from Lucid, Rivian, and General Motors. Brownlee's return to the dealership lot It's not the first time Brownlee has turned to Saliba's lot when a carmaker didn't provide a vehicle. In 2024, he picked up a Fisker Ocean from the same dealership and called it the "worst car I've ever reviewed," setting up a PR firestorm for Fisker. The automaker pushed back on the review, saying he had driven the car just before an expansive software update. Fisker filed for bankruptcy three months later. Read the original article on Business Insider

John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, attended the Municipal Art Society Gala in 1998. Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images Before her death in a plane crash, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy was a well-known fashion icon. As the wife of John F. Kennedy Jr., she was frequently photographed at glamorous events. Bessette-Kennedy's style is practically a main character in "Love Story." Arguably, no one can nail classic, "cool-girl" style quite like Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy did. Bessette-Kennedy shot to prominence in the mid to late '90s as the girlfriend and then the wife of John F. Kennedy Jr., the son of former President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and her older sister, Lauren Bessette, were killed in a plane crash on July 16, 1999. There were no survivors from the accident, which happened off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. Before her passing, Bessette-Kennedy was known as a fashion icon, thanks to her minimalist outfits, which embodied what we now call the quiet-luxury aesthetic and featured a color palette of mostly black, white, beige, and navy blue. Her personal style is now coming back into the zeitgeist with the release of Ryan Murphy's "Love Story," which chronicles the couple's seven-year relationship. Here are 11 of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's best, most timeless looks. Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy defied the fashion "rule" that you can't mix black, brown, and beige. John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy stand in front of their apartment in Tribeca. Jon Naso/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images Pictured here with John F. Kennedy Jr. in front of their Tribeca apartment in New York City, Bessette-Kennedy embodied classic autumnal fashion by pairing patent-leather brown boots with a simple black sweater and a camel-colored, calf-length skirt. She accessorized with an understated black-leather bag and swept her blonde hair back into a low ponytail. Before she married John F. Kennedy Jr., she was a publicist at Calvin Klein, which appeared to influence her personal style. Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy at the Annual Fundraising Gala on March 9, 1999. Evan Agostini/Liaison/Getty Images Bessette-Kennedy knew how to ace perfectly tailored, classic pieces similar to the ones Klein is known for, like this structured white button-up and black mermaid-tail skirt. Vogue called this minimalist look "the epitome of uptown glamour without compromising her pared-back aesthetic." She largely stuck to a basic black palette for formal events. John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy at the Municipal Art Society Gala in 1998. Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Image Pictured here with her husband at the Municipal Art Society Gala in 1998, Bessette-Kennedy wore a strapless black column gown, velvet gloves, and pointed strappy stiletto heels. However, for an off-duty look, she didn't shun color altogether. Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in New York City in 1996. Lawrence Schwartzwald/Sygma/Getty Images In 1996, while walking around New York City, she was photographed wearing a flowy summer dress with a bright floral print, black strappy heels, and a black, patent-leather handbag. She looked effortlessly cool in a pair of perfectly tailored jeans and strappy sandals. Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in New York City in 1996. Lawrence Schwartzwald/Sygma/Getty Images This classic look, from the black sleeveless tank to the brown-and-cream heeled sandals, would still be stylish now. She often accessorized with a pair of sunglasses. Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy walking on Madison Avenue in 1997 Lawrence Schwartzwald/Sygma/Getty Images These rounded black sunglasses paired with a black button-up and green cargo pants epitomized '90s fashion. She was also the master of a classic coat. Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in January 1997. Lawrence Schwartzwald/Sygma/Getty Images While heading to the airport to catch a flight for Bill Clinton's inauguration in January 1997, Bessette-Kennedy was photographed wearing a camel-colored skirt, black leather boots, and a belted black suede coat. Nothing screams classic New York style like a pair of jeans, a white T-shirt, and a black leather jacket. Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in October 1996. Lawrence Schwartzwald/Sygma/Getty Images She finished the look with a tortoise-shell headband and a pair of oval sunglasses. Even for events, she leaned into structured outerwear. John F. Kennedy and Carolyn Bessette during "Newman's Own" George Awards at US Customs House in New York City in 1999. Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images When attending the Newman's Own George Awards in 1999, she paired a black coat with ruffled detailing with simple black pants and strappy heels. Even when walking around New York City, she upgraded an otherwise casual look by choosing designer pieces. John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy walk in New York City in 1996. New York Daily News/NY Daily News via Getty Images In this 1996 ensemble, she layered a grey Miu Miu dress beneath a sleek black coat, striking a balance between understated elegance and effortless cool. Tall black boots elongated the silhouette, while a glossy patent-leather bag added a more playful touch. Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy will always be remembered as a fashion icon. John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in 1997. Brooks Kraft LLC/Sygma/Getty Images Bessette-Kennedy effortlessly blended elegance and simplicity in her fashion, becoming one of the decade's most recognizable style icons. There's no arguing that Bessette-Kennedy, through her iconic minimalist style, made a lasting impact on the fashion world. She showed that while fast-fashion trends come and go, simple elegance lasts forever. Read the original article on Business Insider

Amid Minnesota Fraud Scandal, Legitimate Autism Centers Face Closure Authored by Troy Myers via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), A Minnesota autism center for adults and children, which has been operating for more than 20 years, is facing closure in the wake of the massive fraud scandal in the state that dates back more than a decade and involves more than $9 billion of U.S. taxpayer money. The Holland Center in Minnetonka, Minn., on Feb. 11, 2026. Larson told a House subcommittee hearing on Jan. 21 that her center and numerous others in Minnesota are facing collapse after becoming collateral damage from the massive fraud scandal. Adam Hester for The Epoch Times The Holland Center is one of many legitimate centers in the state, which collectively serve thousands of disabled people. Founder, owner, and CEO Jennifer Larson built the Holland Center for her autistic, non-speaking son, who is now 25 years old. She said she has recently been forced to put hundreds of thousands of her own dollars into keeping the center afloat because the state didn’t pay a single claim for nearly two months. Because of the payment delays, Larson said autism centers like hers are being forced to reduce hours, cut staff, and close in some instances. Families are scrambling for help, disabled children and adults are regressing, and parents are leaving jobs to care for their disabled loved ones. Larson told The Epoch Times her facility can’t continue much longer. “The feds say it’s the state. The state says it’s the feds,” Larson said. “The kids are going to be the collateral damage.” The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services paused child care and family assistance funds to Minnesota in early January due to the alleged rampant fraud. The state is appealing. The Minnesota Department of Human Services told The Epoch Times via email that the federal government’s threat of withholding funds is “not impacting the current payment situation.” However, Larson’s center accumulated nearly two months of unpaid claims from Dec. 5 to Jan. 29, totaling more than $600,000. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a press conference at the state Capitol building in St. Paul, Minn., on Feb. 3, 2026. Beginning in late December 2025, the state began using a new pre-payment review vendor called Optum, which uses artificial intelligence in its claims and reimbursement processes. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images ‘Everything Was Flagged’ Beginning in late December 2025, the state began using a new pre-payment review vendor called Optum, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) “at every step” of its claims and reimbursement processes. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz had announced the contract with the new system in late October 2025. “They implemented it because of the fraud. Obviously, the state wasn’t catching the fraud in the 300 or 400 centers that popped up in the last three years,” Larson said. She blames the Minnesota government for turning a blind eye to the “crime ring” involving fraud at Somali-run autism centers to an immense scale. Neither Walz nor his office could be reached for comment during multiple attempts via emails and phone calls. Now, she said, Optum is causing the delay of claims with few or unclear explanations in the review process. “The state has failed and lost millions and millions of dollars in the system, so, clearly, the state wasn’t going to be able to tell Optum what to look for because they didn’t know what they were doing,” Larson told The Epoch Times after she recently testified in Congress. “All of us, for the first round, nobody got anything. Everything was flagged.” Larson told a House subcommittee hearing on Jan. 21 that her center and numerous others in Minnesota are facing collapse after becoming collateral damage from the massive fraud scandal. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) asked Larson: “Ms. Larson, none of this would have happened if the fraud did not occur, is that accurate?” “Yes,” she responded. “What happened in Minnesota had nothing to do with the ethical, longstanding autism providers.” Larson said in her testimony that the state government’s “clumsy response” to fraud failed to distinguish between criminals and caregivers. She said abrupt disruption or loss of service can destroy weeks or years of progress for disabled children and adults, causing lifelong consequences. Payment Process The Minnesota Department of Human Services told The Epoch Times that it sent the first batch of more than 100,000 claims to Optum for review in late December 2025. The department said every two weeks, Optum receives batches of claims from the state. The system analyzes and flags any that need further review. Unflagged claims are paid after the initial analysis, the Minnesota Department of Human Services said. The agency will continue sending payments for unflagged claims on regular two-week cycles. A provider will receive an update every two weeks on a flagged or suspended claim, accompanied by reason codes, the department said. “If a claim is flagged, we may need additional information and documents from the provider before payments are made, which may cause further delay,” the Minnesota Department of Human Services said. Claims in Optum are listed as suspended until the state reaches a payment decision. The department did not provide detailed answers on why the Holland Center or other similar, longstanding facilities might have their claims flagged. Jennifer Larson, founder and CEO of the Holland Center, and her son Caden Larson in Minnetonka, Minn., on Feb. 11, 2026. Larson built the center for her autistic, non-speaking son, who is now 25 years old. Adam Hester for The Epoch Times The agency said it did not wish to disclose what kind of identifiers cause it to suspect someone is billing for services they did not provide, but officials generally look for “patterns of concern—claims that fall outside expected norms,” some of which could be blamed on administrative errors or poor documentation rather than intentional fraud. “Optum helps the state of Minnesota identify potential fraud, waste, and abuse by conducting pre‑payment reviews,” the company said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times. “Optum has no authority to approve, deny, delay, or suspend claims, and payment decisions are made exclusively by [the Minnesota Department of Human Services] and the Office of Inspector General.” Most claims should be paid within 30 days, and legitimate claims that may have been flagged within 90 days, as required by the federal government, according to the agency. Financial Hit Meanwhile, with a payroll of $250,000 every two weeks, Larson has been forced to ask many of her employees to take unpaid leave. After nearly two months of unpaid claims, her center was partially paid on Jan. 29, bringing the owed amount down to about $300,000, Larson said. She said there’s been little to no word from state or health officials on why her claims were flagged in the first place. Larson doesn’t expect to get another payment for two weeks, putting her in a several-hundred-thousand-dollar deficit she doesn’t think will ever rebalance. She’s spent so much of her own money to keep the center’s lights on, Larson said, that she’s been forced to cut back on other bills to make ends meet. Fortunately, Larson said her landlords have been understanding of the situation. New Centers Years ago, when Larson witnessed new autism treatment centers popping up around her area and the state, she was initially relieved because, to her, it meant more help was coming for disabled children and adults. “There’s a need, and there’s a high prevalence of autism in the Somali community in Minnesota,” Larson said. “And I know that and I service a lot of the kids, but we can’t take them all. We’ve always had a waiting list.” A 2023 study by the University of Minnesota showed autism rates in 4-year-olds to be much higher among Somali children compared to other races and ethnicities. The report found 1 in 18 Somali children had autism, compared to 1 in 64 for white children, 1 in 31 for Hispanic children, and 1 in 30 for non-Somali black children. But when hundreds of autism centers popped up, it was a red flag for Larson. “No one wants to talk about it because everyone’s scared of saying anything wrong,” Larson said. “That’s why we’re here. It’s because everyone’s too afraid to say something.” Independent journalist Nick Shirley, who brought national attention to the alleged Minnesota fraud at day care centers with his viral video posted Dec. 26, 2025, attended the congressional hearing with Larson. “What we saw in Minnesota is how complicit the government has been in enabling this fraud to happen. Quality ‘Learing’ Center had over 90 violations, yet they continued to give that daycare $1.9 million,” Shirley said in his testimony. Meanwhile, the closure of Holland Center would dismantle a lifetime of work for Larson that all started with the birth of her son. Read the rest here... Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 20:55

How A Water War Is Brewing Over A Drying Lake In Nevada Authored by John Haughey via The Epoch Times, A Nevada lawsuit trickling toward trial could determine how the nation’s most arid state balances the legal rights of upstream landowners to divert water from rivers for agricultural irrigation with the impacts those withdrawals have on downstream ecologies and economies. Water rights exceed water supply across much of the western United States. With many watersheds failing to deliver enough water for local needs, the suit is being watched by attorneys, state water managers, and federal agencies. It could potentially set a precedent in revising how states across the West regulate access to water. The Nevada case, filed by the Walker River Paiute Tribe and Mineral County, may also present an opportunity for a win-win solution, in which nonprofits and government entities purchase private water rights from willing upstream sellers and dedicate them to downstream public benefit. Without public-private intervention and the changes in state water law that the suit seeks, geologists and environmental experts agree the future is bleak for Walker Lake, a 13-mile long terminal lake about 75 miles southeast of Reno near the California state line in rural, sparsely populated Mineral County. The lake is completely dependent on diminishing Sierra Nevada snowmelt runoff into the Walker River—runoff that, for decades now, has been almost entirely diverted for irrigation by upstream farmers and ranchers. As a result, a desert oasis that once generated more than half of Mineral County’s economic activity through recreational pursuits such as fishing, migratory bird-watching, boating, and camping is now a lifeless “sludge pond,” while the town of Walker Lake faces an accelerating prospect of extinction. “The last fish was caught in 2013 or 2015, I believe. When the fish died, the fishing died; boating, recreation, that all just disappeared,” Mineral County Commissioner Tony Ruse said. “There were restaurants here. There were hotels here. There were businesses here. Now? All gone, just 300 residents struggling.” A Mineral County native, Ruse returned in 2020 after working 34 years as a Switzerland-trained chef in Europe and Asia, including 20 years in South Korea, to open The Big Horn Crossing, a restaurant and convenience store in a shuttered bait shop. It’s now Walker Lake’s only remaining retail business. “It was dead. There was nothing,” he told The Epoch Times. “We should be selling bait here. We should be selling fishing supplies. There should be boats parked in our driveway right now.” (Top) Mineral County Commissioner Tony Ruse fields a phone call at The Big Horn Crossing, a restaurant and convenience store that is the only remaining retail business in Walker Lake, Nev., in January 2026. (Bottom) Walker Lake, a town of fewer than 400 people, is anchored on the slopes of Mount Grant, but no longer supports a fishery, boat races, or the waterfront restaurants and hotels that once made it a desert oasis for tourists, anglers, and campers, in Mineral County, Nev., in January 2026. John Haughey/The Epoch Times Marlene Bunch and her husband Glenn lead the Walker Lake Working Group, created in 1991 to ensure water reaches the lake to sustain its recreational economy. “Upstream diversions have been our nemesis, and that’s what our legal case is for,” Bunch, a former Mineral County clerk and treasurer, told The Epoch Times. Bunch.has lived in Walker Lake since the 1960s. She recalls a 1991 discussion with Nevada Department of Wildlife fisheries biologist Mike Sevon about what would happen if water levels continued to drop. Diminishing Returns Walker Lake retains water flowing east 100 miles from California’s Bridgeport and Topaz reservoirs through Nevada’s Smith and Mason valleys and the Walker River Paiute Tribe’s reservation. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, its water levels have declined more than 160 feet since 1882. Nearly 30 miles long in 1850, the lake is only 12 miles long today. The runoff provided hydrological pressure that sustained area water wells, especially in Walker Lake, where Ruse said residents are seeing “very brackish” water coming from taps, a potential death knell for the town. “It’s getting harder and harder to keep the federal standards for potable water,” he said. “So there’s going to be a day—and I’m waiting for the call—that we need to put a reverse-osmosis system in, which we couldn’t afford to do.” Walker Lake and nearby Hawthorne, the Mineral County seat, struggle in the desert—Hawthorne has seen its population decline 60 percent from 10,000 in 1980 to just over 3,000 in 2020. Meanwhile, agriculture in the Smith and Mason valleys has thrived. (Top) Walker Lake has receded well beyond the sign on U.S. Route 95, in Mineral County, Nev., in January 2026. Decades ago, anglers could shorecast for fish that can no longer survive in the shrinking lake. (Bottom) Nevada’s Walker Lake, a 13-mile-long lake about 75 miles southeast of Reno near the California state line in rural Mineral County, was once more than 30 miles long and 160 feet higher than it is now, in Mineral County, Nev., in January 2026. John Haughey/The Epoch Times But with mountain runoff unreliable for decades now, when upstream users divert their share, little to no water makes it to Walker Lake, leaving once-bustling waterfront businesses marooned as hulking shells far from a distant, receding shore. The case, United States and Walker River Paiute Tribe v. Walker River Irrigation District, is not a new case, but ongoing litigation arising from a lawsuit filed in 1924. It’s part of a flood of litigation stemming from Walker River allocations, going back to 1902, when rancher Henry Miller sued Thomas Rickey over water rights on the river. A 1936 Walker River Decree issued by the Nevada U.S. District Court finalized water rights for more than 500 private landowners, primarily farmers and ranchers, within the Walker River Basin, including those in the Walker River Irrigation District, under a “first in time, first in right” policy that remains the standard almost a century later. Like Nevada, most western states allocate water by the policy, known as prior appropriation. Therefore, under the 1936 decree, upstream users have legal priority to Walker River water. But in 2015, Mineral County filed a lawsuit citing the public trust doctrine, the legal principle that certain natural and cultural resources be preserved for public use. The lawsuit claimed that under the public trust doctrine, it is the state’s duty to maintain minimum inflows into public waters, such as Walker Lake, to sustain environmental, wildlife, recreational, and economic resources. The U.S. District Court ruled in the county’s favor. The irrigation district appealed. The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court overturned the ruling; the public trust doctrine, it held, was a state law issue that had not been decided in Nevada. That kicked the case back to the Nevada Supreme Court, which in 2020 determined all Nevada waters will now be allocated under the public trust doctrine—but that already-issued water rights would not be, and can never be, reallocated. The Supreme Court of Nevada building in Carson City, Nev., in this file photo. In 2020, the court determined that all Nevada waters will now be allocated under the public trust doctrine. Steven Frame/Shutterstock The court directed Mineral County to recommend ways to restore the lake without reallocating water rights, and to work with the Walker Basin Conservancy, a nonprofit created in 2014 with federal funding initially secured by Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Walker Basin Restoration Program. In 2021, Mineral County amended its 2015 complaint to intervene in the decades’-long parallel suit by the Walker River Paiute Tribe seeking to boost Walker River flows into a reservation reservoir and secure water rights for 167,460 acres added to the reservation since 1936. The county’s complaint includes 24 “actions … necessary to restore and maintain Walker Lake’s public trust values.” After years of procedural delays, including a requirement to individually serve more than 1,000 watershed landowners across the country, the case is set to proceed into discovery. A potential trial looms. But an alternate “win-win” solution orchestrated by the Walker Basin Conservancy is gaining traction and could, perhaps, mitigate the need for a court-ordered resolution. ‘The Only Solution’ Since its creation, the conservancy has restored public access to 33 miles along the Walker River and purchased more than 13,700 acres of water rights, enough to restore about 60 percent of the river inflow biologists maintain is needed to restore the lake’s fishery. Conservancy CEO Peter Stanton and Water Program Director Carlie Henneman did not return emails and repeated phone requests for comment about the program from The Epoch Times. Nor did the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Walker River Irrigation District attorney Gordon DePaoli, or Walker Basin Working Group’s Oregon-based legal advisers, Jamie Saul of the Wild & Scenic Law Center and Kevin Cassidy of Lewis & Clark Law School’s Earthrise Law Center. Several attorneys representing different parties would only speak off-the-record, underscoring the contentious complexities of the case. A sign of the Walker River Paiute Tribe in Shurz, Nev., on Oct. 16, 2024. Walker Lake retains water flowing east 100 miles from California’s Bridgeport and Topaz reservoirs through Nevada’s Smith and Mason valleys and the Walker River Paiute Tribe's reservation. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images Roderick E. Walston, an attorney with Best Best & Krieger in Walnut Creek, Calif., told The Epoch Times his clients above the Bridgeport Reservoir in California are apprehensive about Mineral County’s suit, which he said essentially demands the federal court to reallocate existing water rights under the public trust doctrine. “Our response is basically that the Nevada Supreme Court resolved that issue four years ago,” he said. Walston was a California deputy attorney general in 1983 and argued the Mono Lake case before the California Supreme Court. In that case, the state’s public trust doctrine was used to thwart Los Angeles from purchasing Mono Lake water rights that would have devastated the lake’s ecology and Sierra Nevada economies. “So I argued both the case in California Supreme Court 40-something years ago and then also argued the case in the Nevada Supreme Court about four years ago,” he said. Walston said the case could have “great impact” on water disputes in states that uphold the prior allocation doctrine. “This is an absolutely large case,” he said. Meanwhile, Mineral County District Attorney Ryan McCormick, who assumed his post seven weeks ago, told The Epoch Times he’s playing catch-up in reading filings “from decades and decades of litigation.” A sign is pictured at Walker Lake in Hawthorne, Nev., on Oct. 16, 2024. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Walker Lake’s water levels have declined more than 160 feet since 1882. Nearly 30 miles long in 1850, the lake is only 12 miles long today. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images “In a perfect world, if we get some specific performance and find a way to divert water back into the lake and have the levels rising again, that would be absolutely ideal,” he said, adding he isn’t privy to the reasoning behind all of the 24 actions assembled by the Walker Lake Working Group. It’s a complicated case in a long-litigated watershed but the best resolution is simple, McCormick said. “With the best interests of Mineral County, Hawthorne, and Walker Lake in mind here, we would like the lake to be receiving fresh water again. It would be nice to see some economic development right now, right?” But Walston said odds are slim the court will cast aside the state’s Supreme Court determination that existing water rights cannot be reallocated. Working with the conservancy and other groups to purchase water rights from willing landowners at $3,000 to $4,000 per acre foot—an acre of one-foot deep water—is a win-win for all involved, he said. “It’s the only solution, really. The Nevada Supreme Court has said you can’t just take water rights that have been adjudicated and take that water and put it into Walker Lake,” Walston said. “But you can go to various water users and negotiate with them and buy their water rights. In that case, then you could reallocate.” Tyler Durden Wed, 02/18/2026 - 22:35

James Deering's 1916 winter home is located less than 10 minutes away from the heart of Miami. Robin Hill/Courtesy of Vizcaya Museums and Gardens Vizcaya, built by James Deering more than a century ago, might be Miami's most valuable real estate. The 45,000-square-foot mansion has a total of 54 rooms, with the main house open to the public. Citadel CEO Ken Griffin began assembling a waterfront compound next to the historic mansion in 2022. The exorbitant price tags on Miami's luxury real estate are not a secret to anyone, least of all the flock of billionaires moving to the city. But unlike the high-rise apartments in the financial center of Brickell or exclusive mansions in Indian Creek — where you might be neighbors with Jeff Bezos or Ivanka Trump — the city's potentially most valuable piece of real estate is decorated with limestone, mangroves, and tiles salvaged from Cuban estates. Built between 1914 and 1922 by International Harvester heir and Gilded Age millionaire James Deering as a winter home, Villa Vizcaya sits fewer than 10 minutes from downtown Miami, in a waterfront neighborhood that's quickly becoming a magnet for the city's new billionaire residents. While built in the years following the Gilded Age, it is notable for its Gilded Age-era extravagance, technologies, and collection of fine art. Vizcaya Museum & Gardens estimates the mansion cost $26 million to build, which is more than $800 million in today's money, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Florida International University estimates that the mansion is worth over $1 billion today. In 1962, Miami-Dade County bought the property for $1 million, and today, the 45,000-square-foot mansion and its surrounding gardens operate as a museum open to the public. Shortly after announcing that Citadel would move its headquarters from Chicago to Miami, CEO Ken Griffin bought up a waterfront compound less than a half-mile from Vizcaya, in the neighborhood of Coconut Grove. The $106.9 million sale set a country record for the most expensive residential property purchase at the time. Since then, the hedge fund magnate has proposed relocating the historic Villa Serena mansion, located on his estate, to Vizcaya's campus after he donated $20 million to Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. Take a look inside James Deering's historic mansion and see how its new neighbor could alter the surrounding landscape. Vizcaya was James Deering's winter home from 1916 until his death in 1925. Robin Hill Photography/Courtesy of Vizcaya Museum & Gardens Struggling with illness toward the end of his life, James Deering came to Miami, then a small city surrounded by mangrove forests and wetlands, looking for tropical warmth, which was believed to help improve health. By the turn of the century, the Deering family had begun to develop estates around South Florida, with patriarch William Deering purchasing a home in Coconut Grove in 1900. By the time James Deering began building Vizcaya, his brother, Charles Deering, was also developing a winter home in the south of Miami. The property, known today as Deering Estate, also operates as a museum and is open to the public. The main house features 54 rooms, including 34 rooms decorated with their original furniture. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider Spanning over 45,225 square feet, Vizcaya's main house features the living spaces of James Deering himself, his guests, and the house staff. Envisioned by interior designer Paul Chalfin, Vizcaya drew inspiration from the Italian Renaissance, adapted to South Florida's subtropical climate, and showcases furniture, artworks, and artifacts purchased by Chalfin and Deering on their travels to Europe. Although Miami's population was estimated to be only 10,000 in 1916, the construction of the Vizcaya estate employed an estimated 1,000 workers, many of whom were Black immigrants from the Bahamas. Apart from the main house, Vizcaya is also home to the Vizcaya Village, the historic quarters of the mansion's workers and farmers that allowed Vizcaya to serve as a self-sufficient farm-to-table estate. The Village expands over 12 acres and includes 11 "architecturally significant" buildings, according to the museum's website. The tour begins in the courtyard, which is adorned with tropical plants. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider Lined with tropical plants such as palms and philodendrons, the courtyard highlights South Florida's natural beauty while reflecting the mansion's European inspirations. While today the courtyard is covered by a glass canopy that allows for the estate's air conditioning, it was originally open to the elements, allowing the tropical climate to seep into the main house. Meant to be used as Vizcaya's main entrance, the East Loggia opens up to the Biscayne Bay. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider Featuring marble floors and columns and decorated ceilings, the East Loggia was meant to serve as Vizcaya's main entrance for guests arriving by sea, which was Deering's intended — and preferred — way of entering the mansion. It was used as an entrance for guests who arrived by boat, while the current main entrance of the museum was used as a back entrance for guests arriving by car. The room also features a model boat hanging from its ceiling in honor of the explorers who inspired Deering's interpretation of Vizcaya. Although he began living in Vizcaya during his retirement, Deering included multiple working spaces in the property. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider James Deering was heir to the International Harvester manufacturing firm, which produced tractors and other agricultural machinery, and he worked as its vice president from 1902 until 1909. Deering might have been one of the first prominent Florida "snowbirds," retirees who travel South during the colder months. His downstairs library, located in the northwest corner of the main house, is steps from the entrance hall that welcomes guests. It features Deering's personal book collection, desks for him and a secretary, and seats for business guests. When closed, the door leading to the next room — a reception room meant for entertaining guests — is concealed within the book-lined walls. The reception room features a ceiling imported from Venice, which had to be resized to fit. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider The reception room is lined with tropical-inspired silk panels showing palm trees. Our tour guide brought our attention to the ceiling, which is decorated with sculpted panels that extend to the sides of the room. The ceiling was imported from Venice and purchased before construction on the property was finished. By the time workers were putting up the decorations in the mansion, they realized that the ceiling panel did not fit the room dimensions, leading to the restructuring of the panel, which curved into the walls. "We should remember that this house was built during the First World War," curator Flaminia Gennari said in the audio tour. "So to import large quantities from Italy in the middle of the war was very complicated." Vizcaya's telephone line was one of the first in Miami. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider Wired throughout the house, Vizcaya features a highly innovative telephone system for the time. Only 17 years before the start of Vizcaya's construction, the Miami Telephone Company began providing telephone service to the city. Vizcaya's telephones also featured automatic electric exchange, allowing users to connect directly to the number they dialed without going through a human operator. The telephone room, located between two of Vizcaya's main entertainment rooms, was meant for guests to communicate privately without disturbing the flow of the entertainment. The living room showcased Deering's most impressive collections. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider The living room, with its 1600s limestone fireplace, features some of Vizcaya's most impressive items, including an "admiral carpet" originally commissioned in the 1450s by the grandfather of King Ferdinand II of Spain, the Spanish king who sponsored Christopher Columbus' exploration of the Americas. The room also features throne-like armchairs where US President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II sat in 1987 during the Pope's visit to America. A centerpiece of the room is the Welte Philharmonic Organ, designed to fill the house with music through elaborate sound systems. Designed for guests rather than full-time professional players, the organ uses perforated paper rolls to aid the musicians' performance by adjusting notes and volume. Concealing the organ pipes is an oil painting, which was cut in half to cover wooden doors. "Chalfin had the idea of cutting it in half and using it as the doors of the organs, which is not a very respectful thing to do for a representation of the Virgin Mary, the child, and the saints, but it somehow testifies to the freedom and positive carelessness that they had around old objects," Gennari said in the audio tour. The mansion's formal dining room features the house's oldest artifacts, although it was rarely used. Robin Hill Photography/Courtesy of Vizcaya Museum & Gardens While Deering himself didn't often eat in the formal dining room, he made sure it was impressively decorated for his guests. Sitting to the side is the room's most awe-inspiring feature: a marble tabletop on carved bases resembling mythical creatures, historical artifacts unearthed near Pompeii, dating back to the times before Mount Vesuvius' eruption. Next to the dining room, on the south side of the mansion, the enclosed loggia gave guests a view of the gardens. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider The colorful glass panels, designed for Vizcaya, feature the estate's main symbols: the seahorse and the caravan. Providing a view of the garden through the glass panels and double doors, the enclosed loggia allowed guests to take in the garden views while staying cool from the Florida sun. The loggia also connects the gardens to the main house through sculpted iron gates. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider Aside from giving guests an inside view of the gardens from the ground level, the room also connects the outdoors to the rest of the mansion. Downstairs, the kitchen worked as a serving space for staff to plate food and bring it to guests. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider When designing Vizcaya, Deering asked for the main kitchen to be built upstairs as he didn't want the smell of food to flood the main entertaining rooms on the first floor. To facilitate the transportation of meals and the serving of guests to the dining room, the entertaining rooms, and the loggia, he built a downstairs serving pantry. Today, the serving pantry cabinets display one set of Deering's fine dining china, the one designated for his 80-foot-long luxury yacht, Nepenthe. Commissioned in 1912 to be shipped from Europe, the original set of china purchased by Deering was transported to America as cargo aboard the Titanic. After the ship sank, a replacement set was ordered and is now displayed. The kitchens feature state-of-the-art Gilded Age technology. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider Throughout the house, Deering incorporated cutting-edge technology, including annunciators with bells connected throughout the house that Deering or guests could ring at any time to get the house staff's attention. Another then-advanced feature of the serving kitchen were its refrigerators, which were rare at the time. The kitchen also featured a warming oven that helped keep food warm while guests were served. Connecting to the upstairs kitchen, which serves as the house's main cooking area, was a dumbwaiter: a food elevator meant to carry the food cooked upstairs to the downstairs plating area, where staff would then take it to the main entertaining rooms, like the dining and sitting rooms. Upstairs, 24 rooms housed guests, staff, and Deering himself. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider Nine of the bedrooms were dedicated to guests and each was given a name and decorated uniquely, showcasing the artifacts and furniture purchased by Deering and Chalfin on trips to Europe. While not open to the public, an additional 14 rooms housed staff. Another then-advanced technological feature of Vizcaya was its elevator. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider Deering was motivated to move to South Florida because of his illness, so accessibility features were built throughout the house, including an elevator he would use when using a wheelchair or to avoid walking upstairs. Today, the elevator isn't open to the public, and the museum's second floor is not wheelchair accessible. Deering's main office was inspired by the Napoleonic era. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider Connected to Deering's bedroom and bathroom, the sitting room was his office where he would tend to business and personal matters, such as sorting his mail. The decoration style was inspired by Napoleonic France. Deering's bedroom was modest compared to some of his guest bedrooms. Robin Hill/Courtesy of Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Unmarried all his life, Deering's room features a single bed rather than a larger size, and his room is furnished for practicality rather than aesthetics. His personal bathroom has one of the most breathtaking views of the property. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider Opening onto a balcony, Deering's bathroom overlooks Biscayne Bay and offers one of the best views of the house, although it is not accessible to the public today. The closed-off balcony also leads to a secret door to the Espagnolette, the guest bedroom located next to his, usually reserved for Deering's dearest guests. Spiral staircases lead to the South tower. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider A set of spiral staircases leads up to the South tower, one of the two guest suites overlooking the estate. The tower bedroom has views of the bay and the gardens. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider The corner room atop the North tower was designed to transport guests to Europe. "Water reflects upwards to the ceiling and the sound of waves is audible in this room, precisely as upon the quay of this great canal of Venice," noted Chalfin about the room, according to the mansion's website. A central piece in the room is a large wardrobe assembled with 1700s Venetian panels, as well as antique painted closet doors. The breakfast room was Deering's preferred dining space. Robin Hill Photography/Courtesy of Vizcaya Museum & Gardens Back on the second floor, the breakfast room was the central entertaining spot. The room is lined with oil paintings depicting ocean scenes, and the windows slide into pocket doors, revealing views of the garden. It also features a sound system, with a piano hidden in a room off the spiral staircase next door and connected to the breakfast room through floor vents that allow sound to travel into the space. Most of the time, Deering opted to dine in this room rather than the formal dining space. Tucked next to the breakfast room is the main kitchen. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider Designed to maximize staff efficiency, the main kitchen upstairs has different areas for different tasks, including separate sinks for washing dishes and produce. It also features ice boxes, or refrigerators of the time, powered by salt water. During Deering's time at the estate, Vizcaya employed two French chefs dedicated to food and pastries. Food served at the mansion was sourced from the staff village built across the street, where a farm provided vegetables, dairy, chicken, herbs, and citrus. "You and I could come down and drive into the farm area, stop and buy a dozen Deering eggs and take them home and have them for breakfast, and I think that was probably particularly important during World War I," historian Arva Moore Parks said in the audio tour. "He was able to supply not only himself but his workers also." Inspired by European designs, the gardens feature mazes, terraces, fountains, and more. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider Inspired by 17th- and 18th-century Italian and French villas, the Vizcaya gardens feature a variety of scenes, from a garden theater to multiple paths and mazes, intended to highlight and enhance the native South Florida flora surrounding the estate. The original layout of Vizcaya featured over 180 acres of subtropical forests. Today, that number has gone down to 50 acres. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan hosted Pope John Paul II at the estate. Diana Walker/Getty Images On September 10, 1987, President Ronald Reagan welcomed Pope John Paul II at Vizcaya, where the two conversed while exploring the gardens and the estate. Atop a garden mount is the Casino, a focal point of the gardens. Robin Hill/Courtesy of Vizcaya Museums and Gardens Located at the top of garden mounds designed to block the reflection of water ponds into the main house, the garden casino — Italian for "little house" — was a space where Deering and his guests could take in the garden views or enjoy the subtropical weather without being in direct contact with the sun. Inside the building, a painted ceiling depicts heavenly images. Underneath, bathrooms and other now closed-off areas hide under decorated ceilings. Originally, the casino overlooked a water park part of the estate, where gondolas would be launched, a crucial part of Deering's vision for Vizcaya. Today, the water park no longer exists, and the land is instead taken up by a Catholic church, hospital, and schools after the Deering family sold part of the property to the Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine in 1946. The opposite side of the estate was once used for clandestine entertainment; now, it is a café. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider While today a café sits underneath the mansion, the space served as a leisure center during Deering's stay. The rooms were filled with billiard tables, bowling alleys, and leather chairs. Hidden underneath the billiards table was also a roulette table, which Deering often used when his college friends visited the estate. The mansion, which opened at the peak of the Prohibition era, also had a decent supply of liquor, which Deering smuggled into the estate and hid in secret bars and cellars. The swimming pool is half-covered, providing relief from South Florida's relentless sun. Robin Hill/Courtesy of Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Tucked next to the leisure rooms underneath the main house is the half-indoor swimming pool, in which Deering is said to have only swum once. Designed as the main entry point to the mansion, the east side of the mansion opens up to a stone barge in the Biscayne Bay. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider When he first moved into his winter home in December 1916, Deering arrived by sea on what he intended was the front entrance to Vizcaya. Opening up to the Biscayne Bay, the waterfront side of the property features a stone barge, a sculpted structure that acts as a breakwater and protects the main house from changing tides and waves. Today, the mansion hosts private events and has become a local staple for Quinceañera pictures. The mansion is often used for private events. Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider Purchased from the Deering family by Miami-Dade County for $1 million in 1962, Vizcaya today operates as a museum open to the public and for private reservations. The estate often serves as the backdrop for Quinceañera pictures among Miami's large Hispanic population. Walking around the gardens, I saw multiple young women dressed in extravagant gowns posing in the many stunning locations of the estate. Along with being a photographic hot spot, Vizcaya also hosts private events, from Miami Swim Week runway shows to floral-decorated weddings in the gardens. Today, the estate remains an icon of Miami, a city that many would often relate to modern luxury rather than the old and classic wealth on display in Gilded Age-style mansions like Vizcaya. The Vizcaya Village could be the future home of Ken Griffin's Villa Serena. Robin Hil Photography/Courtesy of Vizcaya Museum and Gardens After purchasing the historic Villa Serena estate in Coconut Grove in 2022, Citadel CEO Ken Griffin proposed relocating the 1913 Mediterranean Revival mansion to Vizcaya's Village campus. The home, designed by architect August Geiger for William Jennings Bryan, a three-time Democratic presidential candidate and former US secretary of state, is considered one of Miami's earliest grand waterfront residences. The proposal would move the century-old home from Griffin's property to Vizcaya's Village grounds, where it would be open to the public for the first time in its history and would benefit from an additional $5 million endowment provided by Griffin for its preservation. Any relocation would require extensive planning and government approvals, which have not yet been cleared. Skeptics have said that moving the structure would be an ambitious undertaking that wouldn't align with preservation goals. "Moving a historic structure is absolutely a last resort solution, to be done only if (there) is no other way possible to save a structure… It is not a preservation-minded alternative just because someone bought it and now doesn't want it," Kathleen Slesnick Kauffman, Miami's former historic preservation officer, told the Chicago Tribune in 2023. The Village originally served as Vizcaya's self-sufficient farm and the servants' quarters. Robin Hil Photography/Courtesy of Vizcaya Museum and Gardens The Vizcaya Village, which covers about 12 acres of agricultural fields and includes nearly a dozen buildings, was originally built as the quarters for the mansion's servants and farmers. Today, the campus houses a café and hosts a weekly farmers market, and is undergoing construction and expansions to transform the grounds into a cultural and community space. The Citadel CEO's $20 million donation will expand the village's role in the community. Robin Hil Photography/Courtesy of Vizcaya Museum and Gardens In November 2025, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens announced a $20 million capital donation from Griffin and said that the funds would be used toward building a brand new Center for Learning and Discovery in the village grounds. Once open, the center will offer educational programming like "hands-on artmaking and urban-agriculture experiences," the museum organization wrote in the announcement. The expansion will seek to expand Vizcaya's role in its community. Read the original article on Business Insider

Bernard Hoffman/Getty Images Thanks to the postwar Baby Boom and other factors, families in the '50s began moving to the suburbs. Levittown in Long Island, New York, is widely recognized as the first modern American suburb. Each home looked the same — they were all built in the Cape Cod-style and cost around $7,000. As World War II came to an end, families looked for ways to start over. Emboldened by the GI Bill's provisions for home loans, they moved out of the cities in droves for newly developed suburban communities. In fact, the suburbs expanded by 47% during the 1950s, according to the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Levittown in Long Island, New York, was one of the first to introduce the idea of a pre-planned, mass-produced uniform suburban community, The New York Times reported. Families started moving there on October 1, 1947. Though the community welcomed an influx of families, non-white prospects weren't allowed. Notably, African Americans didn't see the same benefits from the GI Bill, and it would take some years before racial and ethnic minorities broadly shifted to the suburbs. Here's what it was like to live in America's first modern suburb in the 1950s. Before the 1950s, people mostly lived in cities to be close to factory jobs. Historical/Getty Images At the time, most people lived close to the city center to work in factories, or they lived in rural communities to work on farms, according to economist Jay Zagorsky. Everything changed in the 1950s when soldiers returned from World War II, sparking the great migration to the suburbs. Irving Haberman/IH Images/Getty Images The 1950 Census found that 60% of people lived in cities, while 40% lived in the suburbs. Thanks to factors like the construction of highways, the development of new neighborhoods from farmland, and even safety in the event of an atomic attack, these percentages would soon shift drastically. The GI Bill made it easier to afford a new home, prompting this transition from urban to suburban. Newsday LLC/Getty Images The GI Bill provided each returning soldier with benefits designed to stimulate economic growth. Each soldier was given a year of unemployment and free tuition to go to college. The military pledged to back all home loans, which allowed veterans to buy houses with little to no down payments. The Baby Boom started at the same time, causing many families to outgrow their city apartments. A family of four stands in front of their house in Levittown, NY. Joseph Scherschel/Getty Images Shortly after WWII ended, the Baby Boom began. In 1946, 3.4 million babies were born, more than ever before, and 20% more than in 1945, per History.com. This trend continued into the '50s. By the end of the boom in 1964, this generation made up 40% of the country's population. Most historians think it was because Americans were eager to have families after having postponed marriage and childbirth because of the Great Depression and World War II. Whatever the reason, people flocked to the suburbs to accommodate their growing families. In response to this growing need for space, suburban communities popped up at a faster rate in the '50s. An aerial view of a suburban community. Hulton Archive/Getty Images During the war, factories focused on creating wartime essentials, like airplanes and barracks. In the '50s, they refocused their efforts on building home components and automobiles using the new practices — like the assembly line — they implemented in the war, As a result, factories were able to produce materials for homes faster than ever before. Levittown in Long Island, New York, is widely recognized as the first modern American suburb. Tony Linck/Getty Images Levitt and Sons, a construction company, purchased a 7-square-mile plot of potato and onion farms in Long Island in 1947. They set out to build one of the first uniform suburban communities in the US. The community grew fast. In fact, a house was built every 16 minutes in Levittown. Tony Linck/Getty Images To construct the new community, which sits about 30 miles east of Manhattan, Levitt and Sons hired mostly unskilled workers to build the homes. They gave each a specific skill and created a sort of human assembly line. William Levitt even called his firm "the General Motors of the housing industry," The Guardian reported. The Levitts eventually constructed 17,447 houses between 1947 and 1951. During the peak of the construction boom, one was built every 16 minutes. People flocked to home sale events to get themselves a slice of suburbia. Al Fenn/Getty Images The first homes in Levittown cost new residents around $7,000, The Guardian reported. For veterans, there was no down payment. When adjusting for inflation, a Levittown home in 1950 would be roughly $97,000 in today's money. Every house in Levittown was identical. The Levitt family called it "the best house in the US." Joseph Scherschel/Getty Images At first, all the homes were built in the same style, and some residents even admitted to walking into the wrong house at times because they couldn't tell them apart, according to Khan Academy, citing Kenneth T. Jackson's "Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States." The picturesque community was lined with greenery. In fact, a tree was planted every 28 feet in Levittown. Newsday LLC/Getty Images Each home in Levittown sat on a 6,000-square-foot lot, The New York Times reported. Outdoor spaces, like backyards, became focal points. Robert W. Kelley/Getty Images With the growing number of children, outdoor spaces became increasingly important to the suburban neighborhood. Inside each home, there were four rooms, a built-in TV set, and Hi-Fi for the radio. Joseph Scherschel/Getty Images At first, they were modest homes, but most families saw their new suburban lives as luxurious. Most Levittown residents experienced the responsibilities of owning a home for the first time. A man and a woman clean opposite sides of a window. Many homeowners experienced the responsibilities of owning a home for the first time. Newsday LLC/Newsday via Getty Images Many Levittown homeowners learned homeownership responsibilities, such as tending to a lawn. The suburb helped cement the idea of the "nuclear family" in American culture. The community prided itself on neighborhood amenities, like this mobile public library. Joseph Scherschel/Getty Images There were also swimming pools that children could use during the summer. Levittown also had seven shopping centers. Underwood Archives/Getty Images The shopping centers were called "village greens" and were designed to make the town more of a bustling community, per Encyclopedia.com. The suburbs were also known for being a safe alternative to the gritty city streets. Joseph Scherschel/Getty Images Since the streets in the suburban neighborhood were considered safer than those in the city, parents used to allow children to bike around by themselves, per the National Center for Safe Routes to School. Levittown was also known as a cheaper option compared to an apartment in the city. Bernard Hoffman/Getty Images The mortgage on a home in Levittown was reportedly about $29 per month, while most paid $90 per month in the city. By comparison, the average rent in New York City in 2026 is just under $3,500, according to Zillow. The monthly cost of a 30-year mortgage on a Levittown home today would be roughly $2,000. With all the amenities and perks, the community grew rapidly. In less than a decade, the population of Levittown reached 82,000. Bettmann/Getty Images The community has over 17,000 homes, making it one of the largest private housing projects in the history of the US. As a result, Levittown became a model for other suburban communities in the US during the 1950s. A suburban community in the 1950s. Joseph Scherschel/Getty Images Suburban home construction boomed in the 1950s. In fact, at least 15 million units were under construction by the end of the decade, according to the Wealth Management Group. Although suburban communities boomed in the '50s, the shift was reserved for white Americans. Joseph Scherschel/Getty Images For years, there were rules that restricted minorities from buying homes in Levittown, and even as the Civil Rights Movement was starting to take form and the rest of the country began integrating after Brown v Board of Education in 1954, Levittown remained mostly white. Two-thirds of Levittown residents today are white, according US Census estimates. Some of the few non-white families resisted this standard. Some non-white residents like William Cotter and his family fought against Levittown's whites-only standard. Newsday LLC/Newsday RM via Getty Images In 1952, William Cotter, a Black man, and his family, sublet a home at 26 Butternut Lane. When the lease was up, Levitt refused to renew it or sell them the home. The refusal sparked support for the Cotters, and the family eventually purchased another home from a white homeowner. With modern highways leading to the suburbs, men commuted into the city. New highways leading to the suburbs didn't come without traffic. Newsday LLC/Newsday via Getty Images The suburban boom corresponded with the expansion of interstate highways in the US, starting the modern iteration of the commute from the suburbs to the city. In 1950, 80% of men in Levittown commuted to Manhattan for work, The Guardian reported. During a typical day, the streets of Levittown were filled with women, as the men were mostly working in the city. Bettmann/Getty Images When men left to fight in WWII, women began entering the workforce, gaining newfound independence and freedom. However, they were suddenly expected to give this up again and instead focus on childbearing and rearing. In 1963, author Betty Friedan wrote in "The Feminine Mystique" that the suburbs "were burying women alive." However, some believe that women's dissatisfaction with staying home "contributed to the rebirth of the feminist movement in the 1960s," History.com reported. Women also got active in civic engagement. Women and children protest in favor of new stop signs. Newsday LLC/Newsday RM via Getty Images In 1959, women of Levittown, with children in hand, protested in favor of putting stop signs in an area with automobile-related deaths. Levittown became a symbol of prosperity and anticommunism in American politics and culture. William J. Levitt speaks with three senators. Bettmann/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images As American politics increasingly centered on anticommunism and Cold War tensions rose, Levittown and suburbs like it took on a symbolic meaning in American culture, representing prosperity and the "American Dream." Levitt was once quoted saying, "No man who owns his own house and lot can be a Communist. He has too much to do." In 2026, Levittown is still a sizable community with a population of about 50,000. Though it's full of modern businesses and technology, the community still holds a legacy as a post-war suburban haven. Read the original article on Business Insider

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Jake Paul said he bonded with Sam Altman over a love of "fast cars." Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images; Gerrit van Keulen/Soccrates/Getty Images Jake Paul said that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman taught him to be "hella productive" with 15-minute meetings. "Time is the most valuable thing, and it's the only reason you can't accomplish more," Paul said on "Sourcery." Paul said that he met Altman at President Donald Trump's inauguration. His fund later invested in OpenAI. Jake Paul was a firebrand YouTuber. Then he was an NFT merchant, and a betting site operator. Now, Paul is a professional boxer — and venture capitalist. And he's learning from one of the biggest names in tech. On "Sourcery," Paul said that he met OpenAI CEO Sam Altman while sitting next to each other at President Donald Trump's inauguration. "Sam likes fast cars, and so do I," Paul said. "So, we just started talking about cars, and then we got along, and that was really it." Paul's Anti Fund — which is also led by his brother Logan and longtime founder Geoffrey Woo — invested in OpenAI in 2025. The biggest lesson he's learned from Altman is efficiency, Paul said. He described the quick-and-tidy meetings that Altman runs. The OpenAI CEO "walks into the room, sits down, let's get right into the conversation, boom boom boom," he said. In 15 minutes alone, Altman was "hella productive," Paul said. Then, Altman can go on to his next meeting and do it all over again. "We'll do hourlong meetings or calls and just waste time," Paul said. "I think that was inspiring because time is the most valuable thing, and it's the only reason you can't accomplish more." Indeed, Altman has long opted for the 15-minute meeting. In a 2018 blog post, he wrote that the ideal meeting time is either around 15 to 20 minutes or 2 hours, but "the default of 1 hour is usually wrong." Paul has worked closely with OpenAI in the last year, beyond participating in fundraising. Remember all of those strange Paul memes running around the internet during the Sora 2 launch? They were by design. Paul said he helped consult on the project and was one of the first to sign over his name, image, and likeness. Woo also appeared on the podcast, and spelled out the thinking behind those far-out memes (such as an AI Paul declaring he was gay). "It was not something that was like, 'Hey, Jake Paul is now gay.' Jake was thoughtful in terms of why we were part of that launch." Woo also said that he had formed a good friendship with Altman and Mark Chen, OpenAI's chief research officer. For the Sora 2 launch, Paul said that he had "regular calls" with OpenAI and offered "super detailed consulting." "Me and my brother have however many years combined of social media experience since the beginning," Paul said. "We were there when the term 'influencer' was even made up." This background, Paul said, helped him give good advice on what OpenAI's social media-like interface should look like. He advised on both what creators and audiences wanted, he said. Anti Fund closed its $30 million fund in September. Other investments include defense tech startup Anduril and prediction market Polymarket. Woo said their ties to OpenAI remain strong. "We were just at OpenAI for three hours looking for other ways to collaborate," he said. "Things might be cooking." Read the original article on Business Insider

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Brands like Toteme are becoming more popular as investment dressing resurges. Edward Berthelot/Getty Images Workwear is recalibrating to styles that balance comfort with a more polished look. The tightening job market and return-to-office mandates have chipped away at pandemic casualness. Employees may also be using more polished workwear to create a boundary between work and home. Dress for the job you want to… keep? In a job market where power has shifted toward employers, at least one thing remains within an employee's control: how they choose to show up to work. With layoffs and slow hiring shaping the labor market and RTO mandates pulling employees back into offices, experts say workers are dressing more carefully to project competence. In periods of uncertainty, clothing is less about comfort and self-expression, and more about job security, Lizzy Bowring, a creative strategist and trend forecaster, told Business Insider. "Dressing smarter serves as career risk management," she said. The business casual era gave way to full-on casual Business casual had an era — a long one. Over the past 30 years, suits and ties have given way to blazers and sweaters in many white-collar industries. By the early 2000s, the casual look was ubiquitous in tech. Think Mark Zuckerberg's signature gray T-shirt, hoodie, and jeans. Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers the opening keynote address at the f8 Developer Conference April 21, 2010 Justin Sullivan/Getty Images When the pandemic hit, casual dressing went from trend to default. There was no need to dress up for your living room. But times are different now. Workers are being called back into the office, and the franzied "Great Resignation" period post-pandemic, when employers were scrambling to retain staff and thrust into bidding wars to scoop up talent, is well behind us. The balance of power has shifted from employee to employer. US businesses are hiring at one of the slowest rates since 2013, and the early impact of AI is beginning to show up. Last month saw more layoffs than any January since 2009, as big companies like Amazon and Citi announced plans to cut thousands of jobs. Because of this, "employees are becoming more conscious of how they present themselves, not because they're being told to, but because uncertainty changes behaviour," Frances Li, founder and director of Biscuit Recruitment, a boutique recruitment agency based in London and New York, told Business Insider. Recalibration, not return An example of a more tailored silhouette is the oversized blazer, pictured here on content creator and writer Alba Garavito Torre. Edward Berthelot/Getty Images Still, experts say we aren't seeing a full return to suits and straight-cut dresses. Trend forecaster Lizzy Bowring describes this as an "'intentional recalibration' — blending comfort with sharper silhouettes, structured tailoring and more deliberate styling." The jacket you once wore over a T-shirt to look smarter for a Zoom meeting is now shifting to a more tailored look, said Bowring. Think oversized blazers and fitted dresses. Fashion's messaging is reflecting this. There's a focus on tailoring and silhouette-forming pieces across luxury brands like Prada, Saint Laurent, and Bottega Veneta, she said. A model walks the runway at Bottega Veneta's Spring/Summer 2026 fashion show at Milan Fashion Week in September. Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images Economic uncertainty has also revived interest in investment dressing: wardrobe staples that work in the office and beyond, cut with precision and built to last. Brands like The Row and Toteme have gained cultural relevance by positioning their pieces as investments, reinforcing the appeal of clothing "that communicates stability, longevity and professional credibility," Bowring added. TikTok content about what to wear to the office and why it matters has also grown in popularity. Younger members of Gen Z, entering office settings for the first time, are questioning how to balance their personal style with work-appropriate attire. Grace McCarrick, a content creator who delivers soft skills training to companies such as Uber and Spotify, said her TikTok videos on being intentional with your appearance at work have been some of her most viral — garnering hundreds of thousands of views. @graceforpersonalityhires The cheat no one is telling you about- you don’t have to look super polished if you look rich. In the north east, the look tends to be a bit dull lol but do what feels right for you ♬ original sound - grace mccarrick "It is so complicated to move up and get noticed in the workforce today," she said. The idea of 'dressing for success' is one of the only levers you can control to help you progress at work, she added. "People who put in the effort stand out like neon signs. They've upped their charisma factor by simply not being as schlubby as everyone else. They could be the most awkward person, but because they look good in a sea of wrinkled khakis with black sneaker 'dress shoes,' they're magnetic," she said. Setting boundaries Formal dress is also a way for employees to clearly distinguish between work and home life. "Work wear cues a performance state, whereas home wear signals a relaxation state," Hajo Adam, an organizational psychologist and professor at the University of Bath, told Business Insider. This separation might help people to actually switch off when work finishes. So, once the clock strikes 5 p.m. — go ahead, loosen up, and hang up your blazer, whether your desk is in the office or in your living room. Read the original article on Business Insider

Parker Harris addressed Marc Benioff's controversial jokes about ICE. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff made jokes about ICE during an employee event. Salesforce cofounder and CTO Parker Harris addressed the controversy in an internal meeting. "Marc made a very bad joke," he said. "I'm not okay with it personally." Salesforce cofounder Parker Harris addressed the controversy over CEO Marc Benioff's ICE jokes in an internal meeting, saying he was "not OK with it," Business Insider has learned. "Marc made a very bad joke," Harris, who is the company's chief technical officer, said. "But that's something that Marc did, and I'm not gonna call him out in public out on the internet." A transcript of Harris' remarks at a meeting of the product and tech team last week was posted by an employee to a Slack channel. Business Insider verified that the transcript was accurate. Salesforce did not respond to a request for comment. Benioff has not spoken about the jokes or the company's reaction to them. In his meeting, Harris began by addressing a question about why many company leaders had not addressed Benioff's comments at Salesforce's employee-only company kickoff in Las Vegas last Tuesday. "So I'll start by saying that somebody already has, and it was immediately leaked," Harris said, referring to a Business Insider story about another executive who criticized Benioff's jokes. "Let's talk about it with each other and not out to Business Insider and other places because it doesn't do us any good," he said, adding. "It's a violation of the Code of Conduct, and it's a fireable offense. And if we do catch you, we will fire you." At the kickoff, Benioff made "multiple" jokes about ICE, including one about agents surveilling Salesforce employee travel, employees told Business Insider at the time. Workers reacted with anger on Slack, which is owned by Salesforce. Slack General Manager Rob Seaman posted a comment saying he could not "defend or explain" his boss' comments. "They do not align with my personal values and I know this to be the case for many of you as well," he wrote. Craig Broscow, a Salesforce VP, acknowledged the "deep disappointment" in his own Slack message after the kickoff remarks. "It would be a step in the right direction and for Marc to acknowledge as soon as possible — ideally publicly — that his attempted joke was extremely upsetting to large segments of his employee base," Broscow said. Speaking to his team, Harris said Seaman got in hot water for his post. "I'll tell you personally, and this is what Rob said as well, and I respect Rob for saying that, but he got in big trouble 'cause it went out on the internet," Harris said. "Personally, I'm not OK with that joke. Harris went on to say that "it's hard right now with what is going on [in] the US" and "what's going in, like, Minneapolis is not about our software. Our software is not being used there." Harris said Salesforce is "not a political organization" and encouraged employees to make their views known at the ballot box. "I'm going to use my democratic right to vote, and that's how I'm gonna take action against some of the things that I'm not okay with," he said. He closed with saying, "So that's my statement. It may not make you feel better. So I'm sorry if it doesn't make you feel better. I think we should keep talking about it. I'm totally fine talking about it more. Please keep it confidential." Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at astewart@businessinsider.com or Signal at +1-425-344-8242. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely. Read the original article on Business Insider

ElevenLabs is a $11 billion voice cloning AI startup. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images ElevenLabs set "ruthless" sales quotas for its representatives, one of its execs said. VP Carles Reina said sales reps are expected to meet quotas equivalent to 20 times their base salary. He said ElevenLabs adopts a small team model for higher sales success. At $11 billion AI startup ElevenLabs, the message to sales reps is simple: Hit 20x your base salary, or you're out. Speaking on the 20VC podcast on Friday, Carles Reina, VP of sales at the voice-cloning startup, talked through its "ruthless" quotas. "So if I pay you $100,000 a year, your quota is $2 million. That's it. If you don't achieve your quota, then you're going to be out, right?" Reina said. "And we're ruthless on that end." ElevenLabs — which was recently valued at $11 billion after closing a $500 million funding round — operates in micro-teams of five to ten people each, according to CEO and cofounder Mati Staniszewski, who spoke on a separate 20VC podcast episode in September. Reina said he prefers to operate in smaller teams that hit their quotas, and pay them more. Small teams have become a growing trend in tech, with AI startups touting their ability to scale with far fewer employees by working alongside AI agents. LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman wrote in January that a team of 15 people using AI can rival a team of 150 who aren't. Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg said on a Meta earnings call in July that he has "gotten a little bit more convinced around the ability for small, talent-dense teams to be the optimal configuration for driving frontier research." Reina said the "ruthless" quota has been successful at ElevenLabs, saying on the 20VC podcast that more than 80% of reps hit their sales quota. ElevenLabs did not respond to a request for a comment. He added that the firm compensates both the account executive and customer success manager if they upsell a company within the first 12 months. "I'm paying double, but I don't care," Reina said. "It makes perfect sense because then I have these two people busting their ass to make sure that they actually can make more money, which is fantastic for me as a company." The push for higher performance isn't limited to AI startups. In April, Google said it was restructuring its compensation structure to increase rewards for top performers. "High performance is more important than ever," Google's head of compensation told staff at the time. Read the original article on Business Insider

Fiddelke at a Target event in December. Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Target Target CEO Michael Fiddelke has been in his new job for two weeks now — and he's been busy. His appointment was met with skepticism over whether he'd make the changes needed to get on track. Fiddelke's early moves show he's determined to make his own mark on the company. Michael Fiddelke is working like a man with something to prove. Target's newest CEO has been in the job for two weeks now, and he's wasted no time getting down to business on some of the retailer's most difficult problems. "He's got off to a running start," Global Data retail analyst Neil Saunders told Business Insider. "He wants change, but I think he's also keen to be seen that he wants change at Target." Fiddelke's CEO appointment was met with skepticism by many, including Saunders, who questioned whether the longtime Bullseye employee would be willing to make meaningful changes to get the company back on track. Critics also pointed to the board's decision to keep outgoing CEO Brian Cornell on as executive chairman. Such a move has tied the hands of new CEOs at other companies that have tried it, several leadership experts told Business Insider. Fiddelke's early moves indicate he is determined to make his own mark In his first companywide meeting, Fiddelke said Target "didn't do enough" to maintain trust with its customers in recent years and that he's moving to reconnect those communities, Bloomberg reported. Fiddelke said in that meeting that Target was committing an additional $1 million to its Bullseye Builds community program and that company employees had logged more than a million hours of volunteer service in 2025. Target has found itself in the national spotlight in recent weeks as federal immigration agents crack down on its hometown of Minneapolis and the company previously faced criticism over its decision to roll back diversity efforts in 2025. "If yesterday was a true glimpse of Fiddelke stepping up, honestly, it's a good start," one employee who listened to the meeting told Business Insider the following day. "He seems to be very much on point with trying to restore guests' faith in us as a company," the person also said. Fiddelke also dove right into the field, visiting stores and distribution centers in Dallas and near his hometown of Manchester, Iowa, fulfilling a commitment he made in the days leading up to his start date. The new boss has had to make tough choices, too. On Monday, the company laid off 500 workers across its district offices and supply chain, a move it said would translate into beefed-up labor hours in stores across the US. The resource shift reflects Fiddelke's focus on improving the shopping experience to get Target back to growth. "Adding labor to the stores is a good move," former Target board member Gerald Storch told Business Insider. "The stores had gotten too messy, the lines had gotten too long upon checkout, and there were too many items out of stock." The day following that announcement, Target revealed two C-suite appointments that underscore the Fiddelke strategy, with a new chief merchant and chief operating officer taking over for outgoing execs Jill Sando and Rick Gomez. The moves also simplify the top of Target's org chart. Fiddelke's start has set a distinct tone for how he intends to run Target, and now the task is to sustain that effort in the months and years ahead. He's now responsible for fixing three years of flat or declining sales, a rocky relationship with customers and employees, and a race with competitors who have been charging forward without those same headwinds. Storch said Target has a lot of fundamental issues. "That's not going to be solved in two weeks," he said. Still, Saunders said there's something to be said for coming out of the gate with gusto. "It takes a long time to fix these things, and it takes even longer to push them through into customer perception and behaviors," he said. "The next best thing is being able to say, 'Look, we know there are problems, and we're getting on with remedying them." Read the original article on Business Insider

Gong Cha's founder said he opened his first few stores in strategic locations. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images Bubble tea chain Gong Cha's founder said he banked on Starbucks' success to get his first customers. He said he opened stores in South Korea next to Starbucks outlets to get a fraction of its customers. The bubble tea chain now has nearly 2,200 stores in 33 countries. The founder of the bubble tea brand Gong Cha said he had a novel idea to get his first patrons through the door. In an interview with CNBC, Martin Berry, the founder and chairman of Gong Cha group, spoke about how he came across one of the chain's outlets in Singapore before it became a global boba behemoth. Berry said he and his wife pooled $2.5 million of their savings to open the first five Gong Cha franchise stores in South Korea, a venture he said was "quite terrifying." Berry quit his banking job to go all in on bubble tea. To get his first customers in Seoul, he decided to get Starbucks' help. "So my strategy was, I'm going to put a Gong Cha — the first five stores — next to Starbucks," Berry told CNBC. "And if I can get one in a hundred people who are going into Starbucks to come and try a Gong Cha, then I've got a business." Gong Cha was founded in Taiwan in 1996 by Wu Zhenhua, and Berry entered the business in 2011 to expand the brand to South Korea and other countries. As of January, the chain had about 2,200 stores in 33 countries, including the US and Canada. The chain is known for its fragrant, fruity teas and its milk foam topping. Bubble tea brands have seen large success in recent years, with several making splashy IPOs. Mixue, the world's largest fast-food chain that sells cheap bubble tea and ice cream, has more than 45,000 stores worldwide and just opened its first outlet in New York City at the start of the year. It went public in Hong Kong last March, with its stock jumping 30% from its IPO price at market open. Other Asian beverage brands, like Luckin Coffee, have positioned themselves as Starbucks' rivals, offering similar drinks at lower prices. Luckin Coffee expanded to the US last year, with several outlets in NYC. Read the original article on Business Insider

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Each state has its own signature sandwich, from grilled cheese to a burger known as the Jucy Lucy. LauriPatterson/Getty Images Each state has its own signature sandwich, from a grilled cheese to something called a Jucy Lucy. Indiana claims to have the best pork tenderloin sandwich in the nation. Illinois is known for the Horseshoe, an open-face sandwich topped with fries and cheese sauce. Every state, from Alabama to Wyoming, has its own signature sandwich that locals can't get enough of. F...

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Lucid launched its latest EV, the Gravity SUV, last year. Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images EV startup Lucid Motors is cutting 12% of its US employees as demand for electric vehicles plummets. CEO Marc Winterhoff told staff on Friday that the cuts were necessary as Lucid attempts to become profitable. The US is facing an EV winter as sales plummet and manufacturers pull back their electric vehicle plans. Tesla rival Lucid is slashing its workforce as the EV winter tightens its grip. EV startup Lucid is cutting 12% of US employees, according to an email interim CEO Marc Winterhoff sent to unaffected employees on Friday, which Business Insider has seen. Winterhoff said the cuts would exclude hourly production employees in manufacturing, logistics, and quality. "This difficult but necessary decision was made to improve organisational effectiveness and optimize our resources as we continue on our path toward profitability," he wrote. It comes as Lucid faces a difficult environment for EV makers amid an industry-wide downturn, with sales plummeting following the end of the $7,500 tax credit in September. In its most recent earnings report in November, the company reported a net loss of nearly $1 billion. Lucid reports Q4 earnings next week. A Lucid spokesperson told Business Insider the cuts would not impact the company's hourly production workforce in Arizona, adding that the cuts were designed to "streamline" the organisation as it seeks long-term growth and margin improvement. "We are grateful for the contributions of all impacted employees and are providing resources, benefits, and support to assist them through this transition," they said. Read Lucid CEO Marc Winterhoff's full memo: Team; Today I want to share an important business update. We have implemented a 12% reduction of our U.S. workforce, excluding hourly production employees in manufacturing, logistics, and quality. This difficult but necessary decision was made to improve operational effectiveness and optimize our resources as we continue on our path toward profitability. If you are receiving this message, your role is not impacted. We are streamlining our organization so we can operate with greater efficiency and deliver on our commitments to gross margin improvement and long-term growth. We will continue to evaluate our day-to-day work to ensure that our time, energy, and resources remain focused on the initiatives that drive the greatest impact. This disciplined approach to execution is a core operational imperative for Lucid. Importantly, today's actions do not affect our strategy. Our core priorities remain unchanged, and we continue to focus on the start of production of our Midsize platform. With disciplined execution, we are also focused on further expansion into the robotaxi market, continued ADAS and software development, and growth in sales of Lucid Gravity and Air across existing and new geographies. Saying goodbye to colleagues is never easy. We are grateful for the contributions of those impacted by today's actions, and we are providing severance, bonus, continued health benefits, and transition support to help them through this period. As we move through today, I ask everyone to treat one another with empathy, professionalism, and respect, recognizing the personal impact these changes have on our teammates. To sustain and build on progress made in 2025, we must remain focused, operate with discipline, and execute with urgency. I know we are asking a great deal of our team, and I sincerely appreciate your continued commitment, resilience, and professionalism. I will address today's actions and answer questions during Monday's Town Hall. As always, you may presubmit your questions on The Hub. Warm regards, Marc Are you a Lucid employee or former employee with a story to share? Get in touch with this reporter at tcarter@insider.com. Read the original article on Business Insider

FBI Director Kash Patel Says Bureau Uncovered Antifa Funding Sources Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), FBI Director Kash Patel said on Feb. 18 that the law enforcement agency uncovered what he said are funding sources tied to antifa organizations, suggesting that more enforcement actions could come against the left-wing movement. FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington on Dec. 4, 2025. Daniel Heuer/AFP via Getty Images “Whether it’s antifa or any other violent criminal organization—we know their operations don’t exist alone; they operate with heavy funding streams,” he wrote in a post on X, along with a clip from an interview with former deputy director Dan Bongino, on his show. Patel said that the FBI is “finding them and those who fund their criminal activity.” The FBI chief did not provide more information about the organizations, the source of the funding, or specific donors who may be involved. However, he said the FBI is looking into any financial backers linked to violence committed by alleged antifa operators. Agents are looking at whether funding was sent through U.S.-based nonprofit groups and whether any of those nonprofits had tax-exempt status. They are also evaluating potential foreign funding streams, he said. “Money doesn’t lie,” Patel told Bongino in the interview, saying that the FBI is right now “following the money” and that the law enforcement agency is “starting to arrest people who used their funds to incite violence in the guise of political peaceful protest.” Last year, Patel told The Epoch Times’s Jan Jekielek in an interview that the FBI is mapping out the entire antifa network and indicated that funding streams are being traced, coming months after the Trump administration designated antifa as a domestic terrorist group. The executive order, issued by President Donald Trump on Sept. 22, called antifa a “militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and our system of law.” The administration also designated foreign antifa groups as foreign terrorist organizations in November 2025. The State Department, in its designation, stated that “groups affiliated with this movement ascribe to revolutionary anarchist or Marxist ideologies, including anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity, using these to incite and justify violent assaults domestically and overseas.” In his first term, Trump signaled that he would designate antifa a terrorist group in the midst of anti-police riots, violence, and demonstrations in the summer of 2020. At one point during the 2020 unrest, Trump warned that he would invoke the Insurrection Act that was last used during the Los Angeles riots in 1992, and he again suggested invoking the law as National Guard deployments were sent to multiple cities last year. Patel on Feb. 18 also dismissed longstanding claims that antifa is only an ideological framework and said that dozens of people in Texas have been arrested in connection with the left-wing organization. Federal officials in October 2025 targeted antifa and filed terrorism charges against five people in Texas, citing the order issued by Trump. In November 2025, the five defendants pleaded guilty in response to charges that they were accused of supporting antifa in a July shooting that wounded a police officer outside a Texas immigration detention center. Patel previously said the charges in Texas are the first time a material support to terrorism charge has targeted antifa. Bongino, who was the FBI deputy director before leaving the government in January, returned to hosting his podcast this month. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Tyler Durden Fri, 02/20/2026 - 08:55

Jared Isaacman. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman blasted the "troubling" failures of the Boeing Starliner mission. In a letter to NASA staff, he said it wasn't initially deemed a mishap due to reputational concerns. A report into the mission found "unprofessional behavior," including yelling in meetings. The head of NASA sent a scathing letter to employees on Thursday, outlining the failures of the botched Boeing Starliner mission that left a pair of astronauts stuck in space. Jared Isaacman slammed "design and engineering deficiencies" but said the "most troubling failure" was decision-making and leadership. "If left unchecked, [it] could create a culture incompatible with human spaceflight," he added. The mission took place in June 2024, flying two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. However, helium leaks saw Starliner's thrusters malfunction. The mission was supposed to last eight days, but the pair ultimately spent over 90 days in space before returning to Earth on a SpaceX flight. "We returned the crew safely, but the path we took did not reflect NASA at its best," Isaacman told staff. Also on Thursday, the incident was formally designated as a "Type A mishap" — the most severe level, on par with the Columbia and Challenger Space Shuttle disasters. NASA defines such mishaps as those causing more than $2 million in failure costs, the loss of a vehicle or its control, or deaths. However, a mishap was not initially declared for Starliner, despite a loss of control and, according to Isaacman, "cost thresholds exceeding a Type A mishap by a factor of one hundred," implying a loss of at least $200 million. This decision was influenced by "concern for the Starliner program's reputation," he added. Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, before boarding Starliner in June 2024. MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images Isaacman's letter wasn't entirely gloomy. He praised the "extraordinary professionalism" of controllers and crew who recovered control of the spacecraft and achieved docking with the International Space Station. "At that moment, had different decisions been made, had thrusters not been recovered, or had docking been unsuccessful, the outcome of this mission could have been very different," he added. 'Unprofessional behavior' included 'yelling in meetings' The letter coincided with the publication of the report into the Starliner mission. It's over 300 pages long and details the engineering and cultural problems. Investigators said there were "times of unprofessional behavior" as NASA and Boeing butted heads on how to bring the astronauts home. "There was yelling in meetings," one interviewee said. "It was emotionally charged and unproductive." Another said they heard safety engineers being berated "off muted mics." "It was probably the ugliest environment that I've been in," said another. The report listed three root causes for the debacle. Firstly, it said NASA had a "hands-off approach" to setting up the contract, leading to insufficient oversight of Boeing's design and testing. Then, Boeing didn't verify the propulsion system across all environments and use cases during the design phase, leaving Starliner exposed to conditions for which it wasn't properly certified, the report said. Lastly, it said the culture at NASA's Commercial Crew Program led to greater acceptance of technical risk and a reluctance to fully challenge Boeing's analyses. Isaacman said that NASA will continue working with Boeing. "But to be clear: NASA will not fly another crew on Starliner until technical causes are understood and corrected, the propulsion system is fully qualified, and appropriate investigation recommendations are implemented," he added. In a statement, Boeing said it was "grateful" to NASA for its "thorough investigation." "In the 18 months since our test flight, Boeing has made substantial progress on corrective actions for technical challenges we encountered and driven significant cultural changes across the team that directly align with the findings in the report." Read the original article on Business Insider

Bloomberg/Getty Images Blue Owl Capital failed to secure financing for a $4 billion data center project in Pennsylvania. One lender said the lack of interest was due to CoreWeave's creditworthiness. AI data center investments face financing challenges due to concerns about credit risk. Blue Owl Capital, a leading investor in the data center boom, was unable to arrange financing for a $4 billion data center it is co-developing in Pennsylvania after pitching lenders to help bankroll the project in recent months. The facility, 80 miles west of Philadelphia in the city of Lancaster, will be occupied by CoreWeave, a provider of artificial intelligence cloud computing services that has become a closely watched name in the AI race for its rapid expansion — and the billions of dollars of high-interest-rate debt it has taken on to fuel that growth. An executive who arranges debt for major data center deals told Business Insider that the lack of interest in the Lancaster project was due to growing caution among lenders and investors about taking on sizable exposures to AI players with less-than-sterling credit. CoreWeave has a below-investment-grade rating of B+, according to S&P Global Ratings. "We saw it. We passed," a senior executive at a large specialty lender told Business Insider. The financing executive and the lender did not want to be identified because they were speaking about an industry name they may seek to do business with. A spokesman for Blue Owl said that the company had "considered" third-party financing for the Lancaster project "as we would with any transaction as we explore alternatives before choosing the most attractive path forward." The spokesman added that the project, which he said is already under construction, "is fully funded, on time, and on budget." It is unclear whether Blue Owl has been funding construction entirely from its own capital. If Blue Owl is unable to raise debt for the Lancaster development, it could be on the hook for a potentially huge outlay of cash to pay for the data center's construction. The situation shows the complications and risks involved in financing the massive buildout of infrastructure for AI computing. Brennan Hawken, an equity analyst at BMO Capital Markets who covers Blue Owl, said that difficulties to raise debt for the Lancaster project would raise concern. "I'm not familiar with this deal, but if there is a struggle to find the debt financing, that's a bit of a red flag that I would want to drill into," Hawken said. Business Insider previously reported that major banks had recent difficulty selling off pieces of $38 billion of debt to finance the construction of two data center campuses that will be anchored by Oracle. Banks often sell pieces of such large commitments to other lenders to spread risk and also reap a quick profit. The slowdown in interest in participating in that financing was due to worries about Oracle's enormous AI spending and whether the tech company's credit rating could be impacted by those outlays. Oracle has since sought to calm the lending market, announcing that it would raise up to $50 billion of cash from stock and bond offerings in order to "maintain a solid investment-grade balance sheet." One of the boom's most creative financiers Last summer, CoreWeave announced it would lease 100 megawatts of initial capacity at the Lancaster data center and potentially expand its commitment to 300 megawatts. The company said it would pour up to $6 billion into the project to equip it with chips and other cloud infrastructure. A month later, in August, Chirisa Technology Parks announced it would partner with Blue Owl and Machine Investment Group to develop the project. The partnership said it would provide $4 billion of funding, an amount separate from CoreWeave's investment, to support the construction of the project's data center facilities. In the fall, Blue Owl began shopping the development to potential lenders, a person familiar with that effort said. Blue Owl has been one of the most creative financial architects of the data center building boom. Last year, it structured a deal to partner with Meta in the ownership of a large data center campus that Meta will build and operate in Louisiana. Blue Owl utilized Meta's strong credit to raise $27.3 billion of investment-grade corporate bonds against its share of the project's equity, proceeds that will be used to help pay for construction, according to S&P. Blue Owl could arrange a similar type of vehicle that could attempt to tap the credit of an investment-grade customer of CoreWeave's who might use the Lancaster facility or Nvidia, the chipmaker that has purchased large stakes in CoreWeave. It could also potentially raise cash for construction debt by tapping large institutional investor clients to pool together a loan, Hawken said. Much of the development of hyperscale data center campuses has sought to utilize the strong credit ratings and deep pockets of big-tech partners. Fluidstack, a peer of CoreWeave's, announced a deal last year to lease a 168-megawatt data center in Colorado City, Texas, which will be built by the crypto mining firm Cipher. Google, Fluidstack's tenant for the project, said it would guarantee about half of the $3 billion due under the 10-year lease. Fluidstack signed another similar-sized lease in December with the data center builder TeraWulf that will also provide "investment-grade credit support." Read the original article on Business Insider

Danish Navy Intercepts, Detains Iran-Flagged Cargo Ship Denmark detained a container vessel previously blacklisted by Washington under last year's sweeping Iran sanctions on Thursday, amid suspicions it was operating under a false flag. The Nora was seized after authorities determined it was allegedly sailing under the flag of Comoros without authorization. The ship is now anchored in Danish waters pending further investigation, according to reports. It actually appears to be a box ship transporting containers at the time it was intercepted. It raised the Iranian flag under deeply suspicious circumstances, as a patrol boat eyed the vessel, Danish officials say. AFP via Getty Images The Danish Maritime Authority believes it to be part of Iran's so-called shadow fleet of tankers. "The Danish Maritime Authority reports that the vessel has been detained due to incorrect registration," the agency said. Several months ago the vessel went through a name change, which Washington officials believe was in order to keep shipping sanctioned Iranian and Russian exports, and to evade European suspicions while traversing regional waters. The vessel is said to currently anchored east of Albaek in the northernmost part of Jutland. It's possible the vessel will eventually be released, as the Danish government explained the ship will be detained until Iran confirms to the agency that the container ship is legitimately registered and certified. According to more details via a maritime monitoring publication: Denmark’s TV 2 reports the vessel had gone dark while it was in St. Petersburg, Russia, in mid-January and then sailed west into the Baltic and reached Skagen, where it stopped on January 22. The following day, it anchored less than 20 miles east of Aalbaek, Denmark, where it has remained for the past 28 days. A Danish patrol ship was spotted near the vessel along with a Danish Armed Forces sea drone. The Danish Maritime Authority reports it questioned the vessel’s registry in Comoros and was informed by the authorities that the ship was “not correctly registered.” Apparently, when they questioned the vessel further, it suddenly raised an Iranian flag, prompting the detention. Danish outlet TV 2 further reports that the Cerus/Nora had transited Danish waters at least 10 times over the past year during repeated voyages to Saint Petersburg - and each time the vessel allegedly went dark, ceasing transmission of its position data as it neared Russian waters. BREAKING: Danish authorities have detained the 226-meter container ship Nora, now flying the Iranian flag, east of Aalbæk, after it was found not properly registered with its claimed flag state. Previously sailing under the Comorian flag, the vessel suddenly changed its… pic.twitter.com/vjh2qaOJOm February 19, 2026 The Trump administration is meanwhile contemplating whether to escalate its military pressure on Iran by beginning to directly seize Iranian oil exports. This would be seen by Tehran as an immediate act of war. Tyler Durden Fri, 02/20/2026 - 02:45

How Bhattacharya's NIH Is Rethinking China, DEI, And High‑Risk Labs Authored by Jeff Louderback, Jan Jekielek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), For decades, scientists have looked at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as an agency that publishes papers, according to Dr. Jay Bhattacharya. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, in Washington, on Feb. 8, 2026. Irene Luo/The Epoch Times Under President Donald Trump’s second term, the emphasis for NIH funding has shifted to “provable, testable hypotheses, not ideological narratives,” he said, which is resulting in widespread reforms to the agency. Bhattacharya, who obtained both a doctorate in economics and a medical degree from Stanford University within three years of each other, outlined changes that the NIH has implemented in his first year as the agency’s director and talked about his vision for the next three years in an interview with Epoch Times Senior Editor Jan Jekielek. The NIH has been instrumental in medical advances for decades, Bhattacharya said, but in the 21st century, it became “much more of a staid institution, not willing to take intellectual risks.” During the same time, the agency “was willing to take risks on dangerous gain-of-function and other social agendas, like DEI, that it had no business really engaging in.” “I think the NIH now, under my leadership, under President Trump’s leadership, and under what Secretary [Robert F.] Kennedy is looking over … is focused on actually addressing the chronic health problems of this country, reversing the flatlining of life expectancy, and making good on its mission ... research that improves the health and longevity of the American people, and the whole world,” he said. One of the 13 agencies managed by the Department of Health and Human Services, the NIH is the largest supporter of biomedical research globally, providing 85 percent of all biomedical research funding worldwide, according to Bhattacharya. It funds about $50 billion in scientific research via grants to hundreds of thousands of researchers at academic institutions and hospitals, he said. The NIH is not an agency that makes decisions or policies about public health directly, Bhattacharya said, noting that he intends to “remove the politicization of science that has existed for decades.” The National Institutes of Health Gateway Center in Bethesda, Md., on June 8, 2025. During President Donald Trump’s second term, National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said the agency “is focused on actually addressing the chronic health problems of this country.” Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters/File Photo Political Agendas Over the past 15 to 20 years, the NIH has incorporated political rather than scientific agendas, Bhattacharya told The Epoch Times. “Probably the most prominent example of this is DEI—diversity, equity and inclusion,” he said. “If you were a researcher outside the NIH, the ticket to getting sort of extra, relatively easy funds was to promise to do DEI research. Looking into it, much of that research had no real scientific basis at all. I don’t even characterize this as science.” As an example, Bhattacharya used a project that studied the question: “Is structural racism the root reason why African Americans have worse hypertension results than other races?” “The problem with that hypothesis is that there’s no way to test it,” he said. “If structural racism is the cause, then what control group can you have to test the idea that that is true? ... None of that actually translated over to better health for anybody, much less for African Americans. “Scientists of the country understand that if they want NIH support, they need to propose projects that have the chance of improving the health of people rather than achieving some ideology that should not belong at the NIH.” The NIH has redirected its funding since Trump took office for his second term. That includes allocating funds for “early career scientists,” Bhattacharya said. President Donald Trump (C) speaks as National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya (2nd L) looks on during a press conference at the White House on May 12, 2025. The NIH redirected its funding priorities after Trump began his second term. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Funding Changes There should be “fundamental changes” with the way the NIH funds educational institutions, Bhattacharya said, and he intends to work with Congress “to make [this] happen.” On Jan. 5, a federal appeals court ruled that the Trump administration cannot reduce the amount of money the NIH pays grant recipients for indirect costs, including administration and facility maintenance. The ruling applies to three lawsuits filed by the attorneys general of Massachusetts and 21 other states, as well as hospitals, schools, and the associations that represent them. The NIH published a guidance document in February 2025 to limit how much grant funding could flow to research institutions to cover their indirect costs. These are costs that cannot be directly attributed to an individual research project and include expenses related to funding equipment, facilities, and research staff. The guidance document states that these indirect costs could not exceed 15 percent of funding for direct research costs, regardless of the costs incurred at universities. The NIH stated that Johns Hopkins, Yale, and Harvard charged in excess of 60 percent for indirect costs, even though they had billions of dollars in endowments. Attorneys for those who filed suit said small universities don’t have such large endowments and that if the guidance took effect, there would be many layoffs, stalled clinical trials, and laboratory closures. “If you don’t have amazing scientists who can win the grants, you’re not going to get the facility support. But in order to attract excellent scientists to your institution, you have to have excellent facilities. It’s the kind of Catch-22 that guarantees that our funding from the NIH is going to be concentrated in relatively few institutions,” Bhattacharya said. Scientists at schools such as the University of Alabama, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Kansas deserve access to funding like Stanford and Harvard, he said. A researcher studies skin wound healing in a lab at the University of Illinois Chicago in Chicago on March 5, 2025. On Jan. 5, a federal appeals court ruled that the Trump administration could not limit the percentage amount the National Institutes of Health pays grant recipients for indirect costs, including administrative expenses and facility maintenance. Scott Olson/Getty Images Dealing With China The NIH must be “very careful about how we fund research relationships with China, especially post-pandemic,” Bhattacharya said. “The U.S. invested in the Chinese biomedical research enterprise. Almost every single top Chinese biomedical research scientist of note was funded in some part by the NIH. Many were trained in the United States, so we invested heavily in that,” he said. “Post-pandemic, and especially given the geopolitical circumstances we are in now, it looks, in retrospect, like it wasn’t all that wise an investment.” The NIH must implement more secure measures with foreign research, he said, referencing the collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology. “In the case of Wuhan, what happened was that the NIH funded … Eco Health Alliance, which had a sub-award relationship with the Wuhan Institute of Virology,” Bhattacharya said. “When the pandemic happened, and the NIH had an interest in getting the lab notebooks of what exactly was studied in Wuhan, the Eco Health Alliance essentially delayed reporting at all about what it knew had happened,” Bhattacharya said. “They ultimately said, ‘Oh, well, we don’t control Wuhan Institute of Virology. We can’t get the lab notebooks.’” He noted that the NIH “funded research in collaboration with China that was actually quite dangerous and may indeed have led to the pandemic.” Under Bhattacharya, the NIH now has more stringent auditing processes with domestic and foreign institutions. “If it is NIH-funded, then [the domestic and the foreign institutions] have to have direct auditing relationships united with the NIH,“ he said. ”Then the NIH can shut off money to the foreign institution, if it’s not cooperating. ... It’s called a sub-project system. It’s one of the first things that I did.” Read the rest here... Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 21:45

Anti-drone netting covering tanks at an oil depot in Velikiye Luki, Russia. Satellite image ©2026 Vantor Ukraine carried out a long-range drone attack against a Russian oil depot on Wednesday night. A Ukrainian security source said anti-drone netting at the facility failed to stop the attack. Anti-drone netting has emerged as a common makeshift defense tactic on and off the battlefield. Ukrainian drones struck a Russian oil depot overnight, breaking through the netting that had been installed earlier to protect the site from such attacks, a security official told Business Insider on Thursday. Long-range Ukrainian drones struck an oil depot in Velikiye Luki, a city in western Russia's Pskov region, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said. They were only authorized to speak on the condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. The source said protective anti-drone nets had been stretched above fuel tanks at the oil depot. The facility belongs to the company Pskovnefteproduct and is located nearly 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the Ukrainian border. The nets were unable to prevent the strike from doing damage, the source added. Satellite imagery captured in December by US spatial intelligence firm Vantor and analyzed by Business Insider, shows what appears to be anti-drone netting covering roughly 15 tanks at the depot in Velikiye Luki. Anti-drone netting is seen in this December 14, 2025, image of storage tanks at Velikiye Luki. Satellite image ©2026 Vantor Anti-drone netting covering tanks at an oil depot in Velikiye Luki, Russia. Satellite image ©2026 Vantor Several explosions and a large fire were reported at the oil facility, the source said, citing local channels on the Telegram messaging app. Video footage shared on social media shows a massive blaze burning through a structure resembling anti-drone netting. This kind of netting has been spotted at other oil facilities in Russia in recent months. The tactic underscores how the country is turning to crude-looking, improvised defenses to protect energy infrastructure from ongoing Ukrainian attacks. "Vietnam, run!" - overnight, drones from the Special Operations Center "Alpha" of the Security Service of Ukraine successfully struck the Velikolukskaya oil depot. A large fire broke out at the site. Anti-drone nets had been stretched over the fuel storage tanks, but they did not… pic.twitter.com/bLBxuHNxtm — WarTranslated (@wartranslated) February 19, 2026 Concerns over the high drone saturation have led to similar measures on the battlefield. Anti-drone netting is common near the front lines. Ukrainian soldiers are using this material to cover critical logistics routes. And both militaries have added cage-like fencing to their armored vehicles to protect against drones. Additionally, Russia has also installed makeshift defenses, such as large, floating barriers, to protect its ports from the Ukrainian naval drones that have wreaked havoc on its Black Sea Fleet. The Ukrainian attack on Wednesday night marked Kyiv's latest deep-strike drone operation against the vast Russian energy sector, a major source of revenue that fuels Moscow's ongoing war efforts. "The SBU continues to work methodically on facilities that provide the Russian army with fuel," the security source said in a translated statement. "The destruction of oil depots directly affects the enemy's ability to conduct combat operations, advance and transfer reserves. Such operations are an element of the systematic weakening of the military potential of the Russian Federation," they added. Anti-drone netting has become increasingly common near the front lines in Ukraine. Dmytro Smolienko/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images Neither Russia's defense ministry nor its US embassy responded to a request for comment on the attack. Moscow said its air defenses shot down roughly 300 Ukrainian drones over the past 24 hours. Since last August, Ukraine has been intensifying its long-range drone attacks on Russia's energy sector, targeting oil refineries, terminals, tankers, and platforms at sea. Kyiv has described the deep-strike campaign as its way of imposing "long-range sanctions" on Moscow. Many of these attacks — at least four in the past week, including the most recent strike — have been carried out by the SBU's Alpha group, an elite unit considered to be among the best of Ukraine's special forces. Its personnel have also been involved in ground operations. Meanwhile, Russia has significantly stepped up its missile and drone strikes against Ukraine's energy infrastructure this winter compared to previous years of the war. Since October, Ukrainian energy facilities have been the main target of Russian barrages, Britain's defense ministry said on Thursday. Russia has launched more than 20,000 drones, and its aircraft have fired over 300 missiles, "in attempts to systematically destroy Ukraine's electrical grid and heat generation capacity," the ministry said in an intelligence update. Read the original article on Business Insider

Ben Goertzel had dozens of email exchanges with Jeffrey Epstein. Horacio Villalobos#Corbis/Getty Images Ben Goertzel, a computer scientist who popularized the term AGI, courted Jeffrey Epstein for research funding, emails show. DoJ files show that Goertzel was aware of Epstein's criminal charges, and their correspondence continued until at least 2018. Goertzel told Business Insider he "made a mistake" in accepting Epstein's money and regretted not doing due diligence. In January 2013, Jeffrey Epstein sent a blunt email to the computer scientist Ben Goertzel. Epstein had funded Goertzel's research in artificial intelligence and was frustrated with a lack of progress. However, on this day, the disgraced financier wasn't writing to discuss algorithms or neural networks — he wanted to discuss Goertzel's hair. "I think it is now time for you to drop the hippie look," Epstein wrote, warning Goertzel that his "disheveled 80s appearance" was an "unnecessary hindrance" to securing the capital that might one day help the two men achieve AGI — artificial general intelligence, a hypothetical level of computer intelligence that could surpass that of humans. Epstein compared the scientist's ponytail to "spinach in the teeth of a friend." "I would be willing to cut my hair for a lot of AGI money," Goertzel replied. Ben Goerzel (right) with Kelly Larson (co-curator of TEDx Hong Kong and Asia Consciousness Festival) and Jeffrey Martin (visiting assistant professor at Polytechnic University) Chris Ip/South China Morning Post via Getty Images The exchange was among dozens between Epstein and Goertzel in files released by the Department of Justice, chronicling Epstein's fascination with the potential of AI. Goertzel, a researcher who helped popularize the term AGI and develop the humanoid robot Sophia, courted Epstein for money over several years, promising he could build the "Sputnik of AI," the emails show. In an online résumé that has since been removed, Goertzel said Epstein gave him a $100,000 research grant in 2001. Emails reviewed by Business Insider show Epstein agreed to give Goertzel at least another $100,000 between 2008 and 2018, spread out across multiple transfers. It could not be learned how much of the money Goertzel ultimately received. The emails show Goertzel was aware of Epstein's criminal charges. In a 2010 email, Goertzel congratulated Epstein on his release from the Palm Beach County Jail. In 2008, Epstein had pleaded guilty to two sex charges, including solicitation of a minor. In 2015, several days after Prince Andrew was named in a lawsuit over underage sex claims related to Epstein, Goertzel wrote about "utterly idiotic negative publicity in the news" and said he was sorry Epstein's camp had to deal with it. "Maybe some variation of what is alleged did happen, but if so it was surely an occurrence among reasonably mature people who mutually consented at the time, so why is it anybody else's business?" Goertzel wrote, before asking for $25,000 for a "corporate contribution" to one of his companies. In a statement to Business Insider, Goertzel said he "made a mistake" in accepting Epstein's money. He said he regretted not doing due diligence on Epstein's crimes and that he had "basically zero knowledge of Epstein's sexual peculiarities and exploitative practices." He added: "I deeply regret being social-engineered by this terrible human being and not doing more research into him decades ago. I won't make this sort of mistake again." 'The Sputnik of AI' Goertzel is currently the CEO of SingularityNET, an AI and blockchain company. He is also chair of The AGI Society, a nonprofit that holds an annual AI conference. His correspondence with Epstein was among millions of documents released by the Justice Department. The files have reverberated through the business world, revealing emails between Epstein and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Virgin founder Richard Branson, LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, among others. The fallout for some people named in the files has been swift. Goldman Sachs' top lawyer, Kathryn Ruemmler, resigned in mid-February, and Brad Karp resigned as chairman of the law firm Paul Weiss, among others. Appearing in the files does not necessarily suggest that a person has engaged in wrongdoing. In one of the emails released by the Justice Department, Goertzel said he had known Epstein since 2001. Epstein took an interest in what labs like MIT and Google were doing in the AI field. Goertzel, who some consider one of the "godfathers of AGI," coauthored a 2006 book on the topic, and in 2008, he created OpenCog, an open-source project to try to architect human intelligence. Goertzel told Business Insider that he met Epstein through "mutual friends" in New York City. Epstein was well-connected with the rich and the powerful. Martin BUREAU / AFP via Getty Images Epstein appeared concerned in some emails by the lack of support for Goertzel's AGI theories among mainstream experts. "i believe in you. i can't figure out why i am in the minority," he told Goertzel in 2010. In a 2011 email, Goertzel asked if Epstein would fund half of a $3 million grant over four years to fund a "full speed ahead toward AGI" plan, which included building AI that could control a video game character and a humanoid robot. "Of course, US$3M is a lot of money. However, this would be the 'Sputnik of AGI' -- it would set the development of AGI on a whole new course," Goertzel wrote. In his statement to Business Insider, Goertzel said, "I had basically zero knowledge of Epstein's sexual peculiarities and exploitative practices and have no orientation toward that sort of thing and little understanding of it -- it was all about being overly desperate at that stage for any source of $$ to fund innovative frontier science, which Epstein did recognize as valuable but mainstream science at the time did not." Epstein sometimes pushed Goertzel for more tangible proof of breakthroughs and tried to influence some research directions, the emails show. In February 2013, he emailed Goertzel and suggested that having an AI system pass "iq tests for children" would provide a concrete research milestone. Goertzel agreed to pursue the idea. "Epstein was very smart and fairly technically savvy and had a lot of ideas about AI, which were not terribly stupid nor terribly brilliant," Goertzel told Business Insider. "I did not pay much attention to them nor did they influence my work in any way." Ben Goertzel, gives a press conference with Hanson Robotics at Web Summit, 2019 Henrique Casinhas/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Epstein used corporate and foundation vehicles to send money to Goertzel, including his Southern Trust Company, registered in the US Virgin Islands, the emails show. "As before, we can do this as a tax-deductible donation to a nonprofit, assuming that's still your preference," Goertzel said in a September 2010 email to Epstein. Depending on the circumstances, Goertzel, who spent some of his time in Hong Kong, requested that the money be sent to different nonprofits' accounts, the emails show. In 2014, Goertzel requested that Epstein send the money to Humanity+, a nonprofit focused on transhumanism that he was vice president of. Goertzel said it would act as a fiscal "pass-through" so the money could be diverted to himself and other researchers. "Yes all this was totally legit, the funding was going to open-source AGI R&D for the good of humanity and its future, which was very much within the mandate of Humanity+ as a 501-3c nonprofit," Goertzel told Business Insider. 'Moronic media shitstorm' Goertzel told Business Insider he "reconnected" with Epstein in 2008 after several years of no contact, and that Epstein told him about his legal situation. "He framed it as a politically motivated prosecution for involvement with a consenting adult. I believed him. I should not have," Goertzel told Business Insider. Several emails show Goertzel and Epstein arranging to meet in person. Goertzel told Business Insider they met on several occasions at Epstein's New York and Florida offices. "I never hung out with him in a social setting, never went to the island or flew in the jet or saw him partying with girlfriends or anything like that," he said. In 2015, Goertzel was following up on a payment he hoped to receive from Epstein. Richard Kahn, Epstein's accountant, responded that it had to be put on hold due to "bad press." The Guardian had reported days earlier that Prince Andrew was named in a US lawsuit involving Epstein. "I don't want to push you guys at a difficult time, but given my own situation I do feel moved to ask if Jeffrey might still be able to help with $25K for my 'corporate contribution' to the OpenCog Hong Kong project," Goertzel wrote. "He has helped in this way every year since 2010, usually via a donation to Humanity+." The South China Morning Post reported earlier on some of the payments Epstein made to Goertzel to help him secure Hong Kong grants. Epstein responded, "yes 25," and Goertzel thanked him and said he hoped to resume conversations "once this current moronic media shitstorm blows over." Emails between the men continued for several years. In December 2018, a few days after the Miami Herald published an investigation into Epstein that contributed to his arrest on federal sex-trafficking charges the next year, Goertzel sent an email inviting Epstein to an AI and blockchain event in New York. Alternatively, he said, they could find another time to meet in the city. "let me know if you're in town and might spare a few moments," Goertzel wrote. "it's been a while!" Have something to share? Contact this reporter via email at hlangley@businessinsider.com or Signal at 628-228-1836. Use a personal email address and a non-work device; here's our guide to sharing information securely. Read the original article on Business Insider

Marc Benioff said that the promise of AGI was a "TK" Halil Sagirkaya/Anadolu via Getty Images Business Insider obtained the results of Salesforce's annual employee survey. Most employees felt AI made them more productive. Fewer felt it had decreased their workloads. Salesforce says the survey shows big gains in AI use and enthusiasm. Salesforce says it's at the vanguard of the AI revolution and has even toyed with renaming itself Agentforce in honor of its bet on AI agents. The company is rapidly adopting AI internally as well, and a survey obtained by Business Insider reveals how that's actually playing out behind the scenes. The results — which were broadly positive — show that most employees feel AI is increasing their productivity, although fewer say it's lightening their workloads. Salesforce's annual "Great Insights" survey, which is not public, was conducted in November 2025 and released inside the software company the following month. It surveyed about 80% of the 76,000-person workforce. Most questions about AI received high favorability ratings: In addition to the 81% of employees who said AI tools boost productivity, 83% said they feel equipped to handle AI risks such as bias, and 81% said they felt encouraged to experiment with AI. More than half of employees — 57% — said AI tools helped their team identify opportunities that would have been impossible otherwise. And 62% said their workload is more manageable because they use AI tools. Both of these were among the lowest results in the survey. Salesforce told Business Insider in a statement that the survey showed significant gains in AI use and strong enthusiasm. A composite it creates called the AI Readiness score was at 85% enterprise-wide, an 18% gain year-over-year. "We're thrilled that our employees have moved on from adoption and are seeing AI tools make a meaningful impact in their daily work," a Salesforce spokesperson said. The results suggest that Salesforce is ahead of the pack on encouraging AI adoption, said Jason Schloetzer, an associate professor at Georgetown University's business school who has interviewed dozens of executives about AI adoption. The results also show that, for some employees, AI intensifies their workload rather than reducing it. "The gaps suggest people believe AI is enabling them to do more work, but it's not making their work easier," he said. Salesforce, which sells customer relationship management software, has garnered attention for an intense AI push led by CEO Marc Benioff. Last August, he said half of the work at Salesforce was being done by AI and that the company had eliminated 4,000 support roles because of AI agents. Salesforce's website says the company uses a mix of internal AI tools, including an AI from Salesforce-owned Slack that can quickly find old project templates, and Career Connect, which analyzes employees' strengths and weaknesses to help them move within the company. Salesforce is facing challenges despite its embrace of the AI revolution. Its stock is down over 40% in the past year as concerns mount about the fate of legacy software companies amid the arrival of AI tools from OpenAI and Anthropic. The company has also struggled to deliver on promises made in demos of its AI product Agentforce, Business Insider previously reported. Read the original article on Business Insider

Kevin Hassett, who is reportedly in the front-running to be the next Fed Chair, stands next to President Donald Trump in the Oval Office Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Trump's top economic advisor sai

Nikita Bier said that Elon Musk's X was "essentially operating like a startup." Marc Piasecki/Getty Images Want to work for one of Elon Musk's companies? Expect small, flat teams. X product head Nikita Bier compared his experience at X to past jobs at Meta and Discord on the "Out of Office" podcast. Bier said that Musk holds "weekly reviews" of one or two slides with every X engineer. One of Elon Musk's lieutenants at X is sharing what it's like to work in the trenches with him. There are some trademarks of a Musk company, whether it be Tesla, SpaceX, or xAI. His teams are flat, his schedule is jam-packed, and his expectations are high. In the lead-up to a big launch, expect to grind out some long hours. X's head of product, Nikita Bier, recently opened up about working under Musk on the "Out of Office" podcast, contrasting it with his past work at Silicon Valley staples like Discord and Meta. Bier described a "very flat organization" with lots of individual contributors reporting directly to Musk himself. There are very few managers, Bier said. "Everyone has an incredible amount of agency," Bier said. "We come up with an idea, we build it in a week, and it's out." Bier also said that Musk was "deep in the weeds." That's a feat for an executive who runs multiple companies (and once a government agency) at the same time. "He does weekly reviews basically with every engineer at the company," Bier said. "You have one or two slides, you present what you got done that week, he gives feedback." While some social media commenters expressed skepticism that every engineer received a weekly review, Musk is clearly hands-on — as evidenced by another xAI employee's podcast appearance. Sulaiman Ghori worked on xAI's Macrohard team. He described flat teams, few managers — and a wager between Musk and an employee on how quickly he could set up a rack of GPUs. The employee won himself a Cybertruck. (Ghori, who also talked about the company's "carnival company" permit workaround for building data centers, announced he was no longer at xAI four days after the podcast was published.) Bier also described a lean but efficient team that had "like 30 core product engineers." "The size of the engineering team is equivalent to a feature when I worked at Facebook," Bier said. "It's essentially operating like a startup." On X, one user asked whether these 30 employees were on the product or design team. Bier responded: "Engineers, 2 designers, 1.5 product managers and me." It's difficult to compare engineering team sizes to the pre-Musk Twitter days — or even discern which "core" team Bier is referencing. After six months of ownership, Musk cut Twitter's staff by 90%. Five hundred engineers remained at the time. What Bier didn't realize before working with Musk, he said, was that the executive will "always do the hard things." Consumer product builders are often looking for quick wins, Bier said. Musk chooses the most important — and difficult — thing to do, he said, from rebuilding the algorithm to building data centers. That also means: Don't expect a lazy Friday at X. "Every morning, every day, there's a new crisis," Bier said. "I'll just open my phone and be like: 'Oh my god.'" Read the original article on Business Insider

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; Getty Images; Rebecca Zisser/BI Tech's elite are taking their talents to South Beach — again. In January, David Sacks, the venture capitalist and crypto and AI czar, proclaimed that Miami will soon replace New York City as America's financial capital. Stripe's Patrick Collison has been marveling at the city's "boomtown" vibes. With California flirting with a one-time tax on billionaires, said billionaires like Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Mark Zuckerberg are buying oceanfront mansions. And on Tuesday, Palantir announced that it's moving its headquarters from Denver to Miami. Is Miami the next Silicon Valley? We've been here before. The pandemic sent waves of coastal workers to the city, turning it into a Zoomtown full of online venture capitalists like Keith Rabois and Delian Asparouhov, bitcoin bull runners, and purveyors of the finest NFTs. Billboards went up in San Francisco featuring a mock tweet from then-Miami mayor Francis Suarez: "Thinking about moving to Miami? DM me." Here's the thing: It's easy to fall for Miami when a big chunk of the workforce is stuck at home and online. Five years later, it's a lot harder to build companies there. "Miami is great three months out of the year," says one prominent venture capitalist who moved to the city during the pandemic but is now returning to an established hub. While the Floridian tax benefits are real, the investor has found that the social scene hollows out in the summer as residents leave, making it "hard to build roots or have reliable friends." More critically for the startup ecosystem, the scene lacked the "hustle" of San Francisco or New York. Silicon Valley practically runs on a conveyor belt from Stanford and Caltech to Y Combinator's Dogpatch offices. The machine turns students into founders, builders into companies, and companies into the next wave of founders. Miami, meanwhile, lacks a major university to pipe in tech talent. Instead, the investor says, the city tends to attract people who have already "made it." Miami and Fort Lauderdale-based startups raised $3 billion in 2025. Bay Area-based startups raised $177 billion. The Miami market, while busy, significantly lags behind the major hubs. Startups in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro raised about $3 billion in 2025, per PitchBook, down from $8.6 billion in 2022, when money and crypto sloshed about. The Bay Area, by contrast, still grabs 52% of the nation's venture funding, with $177 billion in capital pouring in last year. Alligators may be all around in Miami, but unicorns are hard to find. In January, Cast AI, a startup that helps companies cut cloud costs, crossed the $1 billion valuation mark, becoming the region's first homegrown unicorn in years. Before that, Adam Neumann, the ousted WeWork cofounder, debuted his Miami residential real-estate venture, Flow, at a $1 billion valuation in 2022. Even Garry Tan, the Y Combinator president and gadfly who's usually first in line to dunk on San Francisco's politics, has been blunt about where the breeding grounds are best. Tan recently said on X that the accelerator still hasn't opened offices outside the Bay Area because founders are simply more likely to build unicorns there. According to a Business Insider analysis of Crunchbase data, of the at least 97 new unicorns that investors minted in 2025, 43 of them were based in the Bay Area. But those who dismiss the city entirely miss the point. Miami isn't the next San Francisco. It's establishing itself as something else. Patrick Murphy, a former Florida congressman and entrepreneur, says that Miami's tech scene is growing, it's just being built in "reverse order." Silicon Valley, he says, emerged from an if you build it, they will come approach: Engineers built great companies first, which eventually created fortunes that cycled back into the community to fund the next generation of companies. Miami, however, has a more if you come, they will build it tact. It's attracted the "wealth achievers" first — the family offices, private equity names, and already-successful founders who emigrated for lifestyle reasons. Finance heavyweights like Citadel and Thoma Bravo arrived early. Vanguard, one of the world's largest asset managers, is eyeing an expansion in Miami as it targets more Latin American wealth. The city is now importing the machinery that follows them. Legal, accounting, and consulting firms are opening local offices to stay close to clients — and scoop up star talent that no longer needs to live near HQ. This dynamic has established Miami as a "control center" for decision-makers, Murphy argues, but not yet the "factory floor" where the actual work gets done. Murphy says that despite running a successful construction-tech startup, Togal.AI, his engineering team has been offshore from the beginning because the local talent pool simply "didn't exist" when he started in 2019. "If you go to Miami, you're not going to see dozens of engineers at a Starbucks cranking away," he says. "That's not here yet." Still, Miami's flood of wealth is creating demand for startups built on the city's local economy, especially in property tech and fintech, Murphy says. Togal.AI's annual recurring revenue has grown 1,000% over the past two years, Murphy says, and is now raising fresh venture funding in order to hire dozens of new employees this year. Palantir's move immediately became a kind of Rorschach test for Miami's future. "Florida is the new crypto," one user wrote on X. Maya Bakhai, a Fort Lauderdale resident and founder of the early-stage venture firm Spice Capital, tells me that the city will flourish alongside "net new" industries that are still taking shape and where the center of gravity isn't locked in yet. Crypto firms like MoonPay and QuickNode still treat South Florida as a home base, she notes. A new space-tech accelerator backed by the state is trying to persuade founders to stick around by pairing them with funders. Bakhai's bigger bet is that just as New York became the hub for e-commerce, Miami could become the place where creator businesses get built. Research out of the University of Hong Kong found Miami has more top influencers per capita than New York or Los Angeles. And then there's Palantir, the strongest signal flare yet that tech is taking America's Playground seriously. It's hard to know what the data giant's HQ move will mean in practice — Palantir hasn't said how many employees it plans to relocate, or whether it will offer moving packages to lure talent south. The company did not respond to an email request for comment. If Palantir does move a meaningful slice of its workforce, it would give Miami something it's been short on: a marquee tech employer that can recruit and keep technical workers on the ground year-round. On X, Palantir's move immediately became a kind of Rorschach test for Miami's future. ""Florida is the future," cheered Andreessen Horowitz investor Katherine Boyle. Others were less convinced. "Florida is the new crypto," one user wrote. "For the next 20 years, nothing will change, but they will always tell you 'big things are happening in Florida.'" Turning Miami into Silicon Beach is a long game, Bakhai argues. It won't be built by the billionaires buying houses to snowbird in today, she argues, but by the young strivers arriving for their first serious jobs — the entry-level analysts heading to Citadel and the junior lawyers starting at firms like Orrick. For the first time, she says, ambitious graduates can launch careers in Miami instead of treating New York or San Francisco as the default. The payoff, she says, comes years later, when they eventually spin off to start their own companies. Until then, Miami remains largely a playground for the "made it" crowd, waiting in the sun for the builders to come. Melia Russell is a reporter with Business Insider, covering the intersection of law and technology. Read the original article on Business Insider

22-year-old Gen Zer Eileen Gu is being applauded online for her confident and no-nonsense response to a journalist's question. Wang Peng/Xinhua via Getty Images Olympic skier Eileen Gu shut down a question on whether winning two silver medals was "two golds lost." Gu, representing China, responded confidently, emphasizing her historic achievements. Gu's response aligns with Gen Z's candid narratives at this Winter Olympics. Five-time Olympic medalist Eileen Gu just shut down a reporter's question asking if she'd "lost" two gold medals by finishing second in her events. The 22-year-old Olympic freeskier, who was born in the US and is representing China in the 2026 Winter Olympics, was responding to a reporter who asked whether Gu felt disappointed not to win gold in Milan. "Do you see these as two silvers gained or two golds lost?" the journalist asked a press conference following her second silver at these games. During her Winter Olympic debut in Beijing in 2022, Gu won two golds. Gu immediately laughed off his question and, without hesitation, said: "I am the most decorated female freeskier in history. I think that is an answer in and of itself." "How do I say this? Winning a medal at the Olympics is a life-changing experience for every athlete." "Doing it five times is exponentially harder, because every medal is equally hard for me, but everybody else's expectations rise, right? And so the two medals lost situation, to be quite frank with you, I think it's kind of a ridiculous perspective to take," she added. Zing! The clip quickly garnered significant attention online. You got to give lots of credit to Eileen Gu for responding brilliantly back to the reporter with great confidence. She looked him in the eye said that was a "ridiculous perspective" without any hesitation or fear. 😁 pic.twitter.com/fPz5uQIosT — Alvin Foo (@alvinfoo) February 18, 2026 Alvin Foo, venture partner at Chain Valley Capital, reposted the clip on his X feed, writing, "You got to give lots of credit to Eileen Gu for responding brilliantly back to the reporter with great confidence." "She looked him in the eye said that was a "ridiculous perspective" without any hesitation or fear," he added. Foo's post has received over 700,000 views. Other posts praising Gu for being confident and poised gained thousands of views. Gu's messaging and self-advocacy follow the trend of what Business Insider's Amanda Yen recently dubbed "The most Gen Z Olympics yet." It's been an Olympics full of public statements and oversharing, Yen wrote. This has included a Norwegian biathlete who confessed to cheating on his ex in a slopeside interview, and American figure skater Amber Glenn addressing discrimination against the queer community under President Donald Trump. Read the original article on Business Insider

Noni Madueke thinks Arsenal fans are right to be excited about the current campaign, with the team still competing on four fronts.Photo by James Fearn/Getty ImagesThough Arsenal haven’t won anything...

Kalshi's website Thomas Fuller/NurPhoto via Getty Images Nevada regulators sued Kalshi, saying its markets are actually illegal sports gambling. The suit was filed just as the Trump administration sided with prediction markets. Other states have also sued Kalshi, and many legal observers expect the Supreme Court to weigh in. Nevada gambling regulators sued the prediction markets company Kalshi on Tuesday, saying the platform's rapid growth forced their hand. The Nevada Gaming Control Board and the state attorney general sued in Carson City District Court shortly after a federal appeals court rejected a request by Kalshi to stop the state from taking action. The state is seeking an order to stop Kalshi, the country's largest prediction market, from operating what it sees as an unlicensed sports betting operation. "Kalshi has continued to dramatically expand its business, rather than attempting to maintain any kind of status quo," Nevada authorities said in a letter earlier this month. The regulators emphasized that Kalshi has grown rapidly, doing 27 times as much business on Super Bowl Sunday this year compared to the year before. Meanwhile, regulated Nevada gambling operations saw their business shrink, the state said. A Kalshi spokesperson declined to comment on Tuesday afternoon, but the company swiftly asked a federal court to take over the new state case. They argued that only federal law applies to prediction markets, and that the new state enforcement action turns on the same questions that federal courts are already considering. Kalshi has said that its markets are "event contracts," a financial instrument regulated by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission. The CFTC on Tuesday sided with another events-contracts company that is fighting with Nevada regulators, and its chairman, Michael Selig, filmed a video statement defending the new platforms. "Today, the CFTC is taking an important step to ensure that these markets have a place here in America," Selig said. "To those who seek to challenge our authority in this space, let me be clear: we will see you in court." Economists and political scientists have long been fascinated by prediction markets as a way to channel the so-called wisdom of the crowds. They were generally a niche activity until the 2024 US presidential election, when people wagered millions of dollars on sites like Polymarket. Since the election, sports and cryptocurrency speculation have become the dominant markets. Today, more than 90% of the money that flows through Kalshi's platform is staked on sports-related events, and the growth of platforms like Kalshi has spurred traditional sportsbooks like FanDuel and DraftKings to create their prediction markets to take advantage of the light-touch regulation and lower taxes they offer. Legal battles are pending on the East Coast as well, with regulators in Maryland and New Jersey having clashed with prediction markets. Attorneys and other industry commentators have said they expect the Supreme Court to eventually weigh in on the legality of sports contracts on prediction markets. Read the original article on Business Insider

Anderson Cooper said he's leaving CBS News to spend more time with his family. Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images Anderson Cooper said Monday he was exiting CBS News' "60 Minutes" after nearly 20 years. It comes at a turbulent time for CBS News under its new editor in chief, Bari Weiss. Some media commentators said Cooper's exit will add to the uncertainty surrounding '60 Minutes.' Veteran broadcaster Anderson Cooper said Monday that he is leaving his role as a correspondent on CBS News' "60 Minutes" after nearly 20 years. In a statement, Cooper said he intended to spend more time focusing on his CNN gig, and his family. His exit comes at an already turbulent time for CBS News under its new editor in chief, Bari Weiss. Here are what some of the leading voices in media are saying about Cooper's "60 Minutes" departure. Keith Olbermann Chris Sorensen for The Washington Post via Getty Images Sports broadcaster Keith Olbermann shared the news about Cooper's departure on his Bluesky account, posting: "Anderson Cooper has left the sinking ship that is Idiot Bari Weiss's New Stormfront CBS." Olbermann later added, "Now, people will only be able to NOT watch AC on cnn." Cooper has worked at CNN since 2001, where he is a political commentator and hosts the "Anderson Cooper 360" show. Brian Lowry FilmMagic/FilmMagic for HBO Brian Lowry, a longtime media columnist and current Hollywood correspondent at Status News, a media newsletter, wrote on X: "Have worked around Hollywood long enough to know nobody ever really leaves a job to spend more time with their family." Tom Jones Tom Jones, senior media writer at The Poynter Report, wrote in his newsletter that Cooper's departure marked "the end of a journalism era." Jones said that Cooper's exit "certainly adds more uncertainty in a news division that is very much in flux under relatively new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss." He added: "It also raises questions about '60 Minutes,' the previous gold standard of TV news shows." Lydia Polgreen Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Audible Lydia Polgreen, a New York Times opinion writer and the former editor in chief of HuffPost, posted to X on Tuesday: "I don't watch much TV news, but @andersoncooper is in a league of his own as a television journalist. A huge loss for 60 Minutes." Brian Stelter Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for CNN/WBD CNN's chief media analyst, Brian Stelter, wrote in his "Reliable Sources" newsletter Tuesday that there are open questions about which other correspondents might leave, "and on what terms." "The risk is obvious: Loyal '60 Minutes' viewers will leave along with the correspondents they like to watch," Stelter said. Read the original article on Business Insider

The US has the most expensive military in the world. Tajh Payne/US Navy via Getty Images The International Institute for Strategic Studies compiled data about the world's military budgets. The top militaries spend hundreds of billions of dollars on defense, with the US leading worldwide. President Donald Trump has proposed increasing annual defense spending to $1.5 trillion. The US has the world's most expensive military, spending nearly $1 trillion on defense each year. That's roughly four times China's reported defense budget, the next largest. From spending on nuclear technology to advanced aircraft and warships, the world's top militaries allocate hundreds of billions of dollars each year to stay ahead. In some countries, big-ticket items such as naval assets or technologically advanced aircraft or missiles account for the bulk of military spending, while others devote large sums to maintaining large conscription troop systems. Ultimately, military spending varies by country depending on location and interests, Gian Gentile, a retired US Army colonel and senior historian at RAND, told Business Insider. Some countries prioritize homeland defense while others value overmatch and far-reaching power projection. "The US spends a lot on more sophisticated, extremely precise weapon systems," he said. A military's budget can be measured either as a total amount or as a share of its country's GDP, reflecting the burden on its economy. Worldwide, countries spent an average of 2.4% of their GDP on defense in 2024. Wartime spending as a share of GDP typically rises, putting strain on the civilian economy, said Mark Cancian, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Ukraine in 2024, for example, devoted over 15% of its GDP to its military, the highest share globally. Spending statistics help paint a picture of defense priorities, but they don't always translate into readiness for conflict. "Readiness is very expensive, and perishable," Cancian said. A country's on-paper investment in its defense systems doesn't always translate directly into military capability, he added. Training and maintenance are often overlooked in analyses of spending on equipment and technologies. A particularly significant cost when it comes to technologically advanced aircraft, for instance, is maintenance and sustainment. Still, looking at military budgets can reveal how much capital each country relies on to defend itself. Last year, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based think tank, released its Military Balance report, which included data on nearly every country's defense budget based on each's reported 2024 figures. The report includes each country's total budget (in US dollars), per-capita figures, and defense budget as a share of GDP. Some countries, such as North Korea, Libya, Syria, Cuba, and Afghanistan, did not publicly report their defense budgets. These are the 30 countries that spend the most on their military, ranked by the size of their defense budgets. 30. Qatar KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images Defense budget: $9.66 billion Defense budget per capita: $3,785 Percentage of GDP: 4.36% 29. Norway Yauhen Yerchak/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Defense budget: $9.79 billion Defense budget per capita: $1,776 Percentage of GDP: 1.94% 28. Mexico Victoria Razo / AFP Defense budget: $10.19 billion Defense budget per capita: $78 Percentage of GDP: 0.55% 27. Indonesia BAY ISMOYO / AFP Defense budget: $10.93 billion Defense budget per capita: $39 Percentage of GDP: 0.78% 26. Sweden Leon Neal/Getty Images Defense budget: $12.25 billion Defense budget per capita: $1,157 Percentage of GDP: 2.01% 25. Iraq Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP Defense budget: $12.68 billion Defense budget per capita: $301 Percentage of GDP: 4.8% 24. Turkey Anadolu/Anadolu via Getty Images Defense budget: $14.27 billion Defense budget per capita: $170 Percentage of GDP: 1.06% 23. Singapore ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images Defense budget: $15.17 billion Defense budget per capita: $2,517 Percentage of GDP: 2.86% 22. Taiwan I-Hwa Cheng / AFP Defense budget: $18.86 billion Defense budget per capita: $799 Percentage of GDP: 2.43% 21. Spain picture alliance/dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images Defense budget: $19.44 billion Defense budget per capita: $411 Percentage of GDP: 1.12% 20. Algeria NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images Defense budget: $21.4 billion Defense budget per capita: $455 Percentage of GDP: 8.23% 19. United Arab Emirates VCG/VCG via Getty Images Defense budget: $22.27 billion Defense budget per capita: $2,220 Percentage of GDP: 4.09% 18. The Netherlands Remko de Waal / ANP / AFP Defense budget: $23.61 billion Defense budget per capita: $1,328 Percentage of GDP: 1.94% 17. Brazil Anadolu/Anadolu via Getty Images Defense budget: $24.4 billion Defense budget per capita: $111 Percentage of GDP: 1.11% 16. Canada Artur Widak/NurPhoto Defense budget: $27 billion Defense budget per capita: $696 Percentage of GDP: 1.22% 15. Poland Aleksander Kalka/NurPhoto Defense budget: $28 billion Defense budget per capita: $723 Percentage of GDP: 3.25% 14. Ukraine Tetiana DZHAFAROVA / AFP Defense budget: $28.41 billion Defense budget per capita: $797 Percentage of GDP: 15.43% 13. Israel Elke Scholiers/Getty Images Defense budget: $33.75 billion Defense budget per capita: $3,589 Percentage of GDP: 6.39% 12. Italy Antonio Masiello/Getty Images Defense budget: $35.23 billion Defense budget per capita: $578 Percentage of GDP: 1.48% 11. Australia Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images Defense budget: $36.40 billion Defense budget per capita: $1,360 Percentage of GDP: 2.02% 10. South Korea Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Defense budget: $43.88 billion Defense budget per capita: $842 Percentage of GDP: 2.35% 9. Japan JIJI Press / AFP Defense budget: $53.01 billion Defense budget per capita: $430 Percentage of GDP: 1.3% 8. France Philippe Magoni / POOL / AFP Defense budget: $64.03 billion Defense budget per capita: $937 Percentage of GDP: 2.02% 7. Saudi Arabia BANDAR ALDANDANI/AFP via Getty Images Defense budget: $71.73 billion Defense budget per capita: $1,963 Percentage of GDP: 6.52% 6. India Roslan RAHMAN / AFP Defense budget: $74.36 billion Defense budget per capita: $53 Percentage of GDP: 1.91% 5. United Kingdom Owen Humphreys - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images Defense budget: $81.06 billion Defense budget per capita: $1,184 Percentage of GDP: 2.26% 4. Germany Michaela Stache / AFP Defense budget: $85.98 billion Defense budget per capita: $1,022 Percentage of GDP: 1.83% 3. Russia VCG/VCG via Getty Images Defense budget: $120.32 billion Defense budget per capita: $854 Percentage of GDP: 5.51% 2. China Greg Baker / AFP Defense budget: $234.98 billion Defense budget per capita: $166 Percentage of GDP: 1.29% 1. United States Mario Tama/Getty Images Defense budget: $967.96 billion Defense budget per capita: $2,831 Percentage of GDP: 3.32% Read the original article on Business Insider

Jet2 has barred two people from ever flying with it again after they brawled midair. OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images British budget airline Jet2 barred two people after a midair brawl prompted a diversion on Thursday. Jet2 said it plans to "vigorously pursue" the pair to recoup costs for the diversion. Unruly passengers can face civil and criminal prosecution in addition to airline lawsuits. "Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday" — except when it ends in a midair brawl. The British budget carrier has issued lifetime bans to two passengers after a flight from Turkey to England diverted to Belgium on Thursday following a fight on board, the airline told multiple news outlets. It's unclear what caused the altercation, but videos circulating on social media show passengers screaming and pushing as cabin crew and others attempted to break it up. The plane later continued to the UK after police removed the two passengers. Jet2 said in a statement that the pair exhibited "appalling behavior" and that it would "vigorously pursue them" to recoup the costs of the diversion. Diversions aren't cheap: they can cost airlines tens of thousands of dollars in fuel, labor, and airport fees. Any hotel and transportation costs also add up. "As a family-friendly airline, we take a zero-tolerance approach to disruptive passenger behaviour, and we are very sorry that other customers and our colleagues on board had to experience this too," the airline said. Jet2 has a history of chasing down unruly passengers. In 2019, the airline barred a disruptive traveler and billed her about $115,000 after she attempted to open an exit door midair, prompting a diversion escorted by military jets. In 2022, two brothers who fought on board another Jet2 flight forced a diversion and were later charged about $68,000 and issued lifetime bans. Other airlines have taken similar approaches, seeking reimbursement from passengers whose behavior disrupted flights. Budget competitor Ryanair, for example, last year filed a lawsuit seeking about $18,000 from a passenger it described as disruptive after a diversion to Portugal in April 2024 left 160 people needing overnight accommodation. Unruly passenger incidents surged during the pandemic, when mask mandates fueled confrontations between travelers and airline staff. Data from the Federal Aviation Administration shows there were nearly 6,000 reports on US airlines in 2021 — up about 500% from roughly 1,000 the year before. Reports fell to about 2,500 in 2022 and further to roughly 1,600 in 2025, though they still remain well above pre-pandemic levels. There have been 126 reports so far in 2026. The FAA maintains a zero-tolerance policy and has issued more than $20 million in civil fines since 2020 (these are separate from the money airlines can collect through lawsuits). In more extreme cases — such as physical assaults on crew — passengers have faced criminal prosecution, including by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, resulting in larger fines and jail time. Read the original article on Business Insider

Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images OpenAI hired the creator of OpenClaw, Peter Steinberger. The news made waves in the AI community. Some AI leaders took to X to celebrate the news, and others expressed concern. OpenAI announced on Sunday it had hired Peter Steinberger, the creator of OpenClaw. Within hours, the news sent ripples across the AI community, drawing praise from some executives, jabs from rivals, and a flood of memes from engineers watching the talent wars unfold. Steinberger wrote in a blog post shared on X Sunday that he was "joining OpenAI to work on bringing agents to everyone." OpenAI CEO Sam Altman amplified the news, writing that "the future is going to be extremely multi-agent." Peter Steinberger is joining OpenAI to drive the next generation of personal agents. He is a genius with a lot of amazing ideas about the future of very smart agents interacting with each other to do very useful things for people. We expect this will quickly become core to our… — Sam Altman (@sama) February 15, 2026 In response to the news, several OpenAI leaders welcomed Steinberger. Thibault Sottiaux, an engineering lead on OpenAI's Codex team, wrote that "@steipete is proof you can just build things." @steipete is proof you can just build things — Tibo (@thsottiaux) February 15, 2026 Another Codex engineer posted that one of the "neat" parts of OpenAI's culture is how many former founders work there. One thing @steipete and I talked about over lunch last week was how many former founders are at OpenAI. It’s a really neat part of the culture. — Andrew Ambrosino (@ajambrosino) February 16, 2026 Steinberger told Lex Friedman in a podcast last week that both Mark Zuckerberg and Altman had made him offers. OpenClaw and its agent-only social media network Moltbook became wildly popular earlier this year as developers and AI enthusiasts shared clips of autonomous AI agents posting, replying, and interacting online. The open-source project, which demonstrates how networks of AI agents can coordinate to perform tasks across apps, also rapidly gained traction on GitHub. After Steinberger's announcement on Sunday, some of the people who worked on OpenClaw commented on the news. "I know the decision was not an easy one, and I saw firsthand the pressure Peter was under, given that he understands how fundamental this could be for the AI timeline," Jamieson O'Reilly, an OpenClaw advisor, wrote on X in a post congratulating Steinberger. One thing has become very clear to me working together with @steipete on @openclaw. While lots of people spectate from the sidelines, sharing their opinions, concerns and even hot takes at times, the dude is there, vigilantly on the front-lines pushing AI forward for every one… https://t.co/fe5OEKgevm — Jamieson O'Reilly (@theonejvo) February 16, 2026 Aaron Levie, the CEO of Box, said it was a sign "2026 was the year of the agents." If anyone was wondering if 2026 was the year of agents, OpenAI is bringing on the maker of Openclaw. This space is about to get very real. https://t.co/ocqX4kE9PT — Aaron Levie (@levie) February 15, 2026 Not everyone in the tech space was as enthusiastic about the news. XAI cofounder Igor Babuschkin asked users on X: "What's the best open alternative to OpenClaw right now? Doesn't make sense to put all your data into it if it's owned by OpenAI." PayPal mafia member Jason Calacanis expressed similar concerns. 😔 what are the chances the open source project survives / thrives after this? https://t.co/4sUZkKWkGh — @jason (@Jason) February 15, 2026 Steinberger and OpenAI have said that OpenClaw will remain an open-source project with OpenAI's support. Other experts in the space pointed out that OpenAI's win could be a loss for Anthropic, especially after Steinberger wrote on X that Anthropic sent "love letters from legal." "Another interesting detail is Anthropic's visible disdain for anything open source: their only contribution to this was legal threats," George Orosz, a tech industry analyst and author of the tech newsletter The Pragmatic Engineer, wrote on X. Kris Puckett, a designer at Stripe, expressed a similar sentiment Instead of @AnthropicAI getting Claudebot, they rushed legal to send a C&D and lost out on not only brilliant talent but community drive. Truly would love to know the decision making process. — Kris Puckett (@krispuckett) February 16, 2026 Raphael Schaad, a visiting partner at Y Combinator, said, "I bet this causes lots of VC tears." I bet this causes lots of VC tears and angry OSS folks. But think about this: - Peter showed the future and lots of awesome startups are starting to bloom from this. Invest in those! - Peter created one of the most exciting OSS projects in years. The community is vibrant and… https://t.co/RFWwfXU9Lz — Raphael Schaad (@raphaelschaad) February 15, 2026 And finally, some X power users did what they do best: posted memes about the news. Was expecting this one in replies pic.twitter.com/bfcZt3Ugg6 — Tibor Blaho (@btibor91) February 15, 2026 Read the original article on Business Insider

Instacart hired software engineers and data scientists on H-1B visas last year. illustration by Cheng Xin/Getty Images Instacart is growing beyond its traditional grocery delivery business. The company's advertising and retail tech businesses are expanding. Here's what the company paid some of its corporate employees in 2025. Delivery service Instacart is moving further into new areas, such as advertising and retail tech. The company's roughly 600,000 gig workers, who shop and deliver groceries and other retail goods, are its most visible face for many people. But Instacart's business is growing in many directions, CEO Chris Rogers said on a November earnings call. "We have the leading online grocery marketplace, a best-in-class suite of enterprise technologies for retailers, and a growing advertising ecosystem," Rogers said on the call, his first as CEO after assuming the position in August. Instacart needs people to make good on its growth plans. The company had about 170 open roles on its careers website as of early February. "We're hiring selectively, with priority on roles that support our core marketplace, Instacart Enterprise solutions for retailers globally, and our ads and data platform," an Instacart spokesperson told Business Insider. "We regularly review compensation to ensure it's competitive and aligned with market benchmarks, location, and role," the spokesperson said. That hiring can include some employees from outside the US on H-1B work visas. Business Insider analyzed how much money companies from Apple to Walmart are paying for tech jobs and other roles. Explore salary data from America's biggest employers. Business Insider analyzed 157 H-1B visa applications submitted by Instacart and certified by the Department of Labor in the year ending September 30, 2025. These applications provide insight into how much employees in certain roles make. Many of the salaries were for tech roles, including data science, engineering, and product management positions. The Trump administration has initiated changes to the H-1B visa system. In September, Trump imposed a $100,000 fee on new applications. He's also proposed changes to work visa rules that could tilt the already competitive visa lottery in favor of the highest-paid applicants, lawyers told Business Insider. However, these changes were largely initiated after this reporting period. Here's a look at some of the jobs for which Instacart has disclosed salaries in the work visa data. Data Scientist: $125,000 to $210,000 Director of Engineering, Machine Learning: $320,000 to $380,000 Engineering Manager, Software: $220,000 to $290,000 Manager, Machine Learning Engineering: $260,000 to $280,000 Principal Software Engineer: $350,000 to $380,000 Senior Computer Vision/AI Engineer: $180,000 to $290,000 Senior Data Scientist: $170,000 to $265,000 Senior Engagement Manager: $235,000 to $285,000 Senior Engineering Manager: $275,000 to $305,000 Senior Engineering Manager, Software: $275,000 to $305,000 Senior Machine Learning Engineer: $185,000 to $300,000 Senior Machine Learning Engineer: $190,000 to $298,000 Senior Product Manager: $185,000 to $280,000 Senior Software Engineer: $176,000 to $285,000 Software Engineer: $165,000 to $215,000 Staff Software Engineer: $250,000 to $310,000 Have a tip? Contact this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com or via encrypted messaging app Signal at 808-854-4501. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely. Read the original article on Business Insider

As Demand Grows, US Nuclear Energy Industry Faces Looming Crunch In Reactor Fuel Supply Authored by John Haughey via The Epoch Times, The Department of Energy (DOE) has invested billions in incentivizing domestic production of enriched uranium for the commercial development of advanced nuclear reactors, including $2.7 billion issued last month to three companies to build centrifuges and processing plants necessary to produce fuel for reactor cores. Yet, a fuel crunch that could hobble President Donald Trump’s “nuclear renaissance” initiatives looms as soon as 2028, several experts warned during the two-day U.S. Nuclear Industry Council’s 13th annual Advanced Reactors Summit in Seattle that concluded Feb. 12.  “If America wants to lead in advanced reactors, we have to do the nuclear fuel here. Make no mistake about that,” Centrus Energy Senior Vice President Patrick Brown told more than 400 nuclear industry professionals on Feb.12. “Unfortunately, we’re really building from zero.” Right now, he said, less than 1 percent of the nuclear fuel that the nation’s 94 commercial reactors annually consume is produced domestically, and that is exclusively dedicated to the Pentagon. The nation’s commercial nuclear energy industry is “completely reliant on foreign imports” of enriched uranium, he said, primarily from Kazakhstan and Canada. Those imports include up to 5 percent from Russia that won’t be available soon. In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Congress in 2023 banned U.S. companies from importing Russian uranium. That ban goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2028. Brown said with the global nuclear fuel market already constrained, domestic industry’s scramble to revive enrichment—a process American companies invented and once dominated—is now a race to have supply available to meet demand as new reactors come online. Because that demand—spurred by the president’s May 2025 executive orders to license 10 new reactors by 2030 and quadruple commercial nuclear energy output by 2050—is likely to outpace domestic fuel production until the early 2030s, he said a timing shortage will emerge in 2028.  “That’s when we'll see that the problem is there’s not enough non-Russian supply” of enriched uranium to replace even the relatively small amount it now produces in a tight market where restrictions on one supplier impacts the entire market. “Fortunately,” Brown said, the industry and the Trump administration recognize there is an approaching gap between burgeoning demand and static supply, and has deemed restoring domestic capacity to enrich uranium a national security priority akin to “a second Manhattan Project.” The entrance of Urenco's uranium enrichment plant in Gronau, Germany. Urenco USA also operates a commercial enrichment plant in New Mexico and is among the few companies in the United States authorized to do so. Volker Hartmann/DDP/AFP via Getty Images Industry Must Respond The nation’s domestic nuclear fuel supply chain got a $2.7 billion boost when the Department of Energy on Jan. 5 issued awards to three domestic companies to enrich low-enriched uranium and high-assay low-enriched uranium. Securing $900 million awards each to build uranium enrichment plants are California-based General Matter in a former Paducah gaseous diffusion plant in western Kentucky, North Carolina-headquartered Orano Group’s Federal Services operation in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Maryland-based Centrus Energy’s uranium enrichment plant in Piketon, Ohio. Brown said unlike the array of demonstration projects the Department of Energy is sponsoring, such as the Energy Reactor Pilot Program that has 10 companies vying for federal funding if they can demonstrate functionality of their designs by July 4, 2026, enriching uranium is not a new process. “We’re not here to do science experiments, right?” he said. “We’re here to go big or go home. We’re not going home. The era of demonstration is over. We are moving onto large-scale commercial production.” Centrus is already licensed to produce low-enriched uranium and high-assay low-enriched uranium in its Ohio plant, he said. Its Technology and Manufacturing Center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is the only domestic manufacturer of centrifuges needed for the enrichment process. It’s ready to gradually scale-up production. “We have the site. We have the facility,” Brown said. “We have the room to expand” at the Piketon plant, which is demonstrating with 18 centrifuges what could be replicated by thousands. “Our technologies are proven and are actively producing [high-assay low-enriched uranium] today,” he said. The Department of Energy award is designed to induce a long-term “demand signal” for investors and utilities, he said, by assuring them there will be ample domestic supply of enriched uranium available should they incorporate nuclear power into their grid expansion plans. However, Brown said, the Piketon plant and other projects nationwide are not expected to reach peak production until the early 2030s, meaning there could be more demand than supply until production can catch up. While the Department of Energy funding is critical in seeding domestic capacity to be self-sufficient in producing nuclear fuels, how swiftly that can be achieved is now up to the industry itself, he said, encouraging operators to begin negotiating “off take” agreements with Centrus and others engaged in uranium enrichment so they can secure their fuel supply and processors can commit to ramping up with confirmed orders. “This is the chicken-and-the-egg problem that [the Department of Energy] was trying to solve. They said, ‘Build the capacity and the advanced reactor development will come while we’re building it,’” Brown said. “That’s the message. So we need firm contracts to proceed to build further. So let us know. We’re ready.” Tyler Durden Sun, 02/15/2026 - 14:00